When discussing the seismic event known as "The Big One" in the Pacific Northwest, the question isn't "if," but "when?"

This region has been fortunate in avoiding a major earthquake for some time, which may have led to a sense of complacency among its residents.

However, on February 28, 2001, the Seattle area experienced the 6.8 magnitude Nisqually earthquake, which inflicted damage on buildings and roadways.

Subduction zone earthquakes are the most powerful and, according to historical records, the region is overdue for one. The Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) has the potential to unleash a 9.0 magnitude earthquake, dwarfing the Nisqually quake by a factor of 100. Such an event could result in building collapses, power and gas line disruptions, landslides, and even a tsunami.

To bolster our preparedness, a substantial sum of $15 million in federal funding was recently announced. This funding, provided by The National Science Foundation, will support the work of the Cascadia Region Earthquake Science Center at the University of Oregon.

Leading this critical effort is the University of Washington, which is committed to assisting communities in readiness for a catastrophic earthquake originating from the Cascadia fault.

Harold Tobin, a professor of Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington and director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, emphasized the significance of this NSF Center, stating, "This NSF Center will be a game-changer for earthquake research in the Pacific Northwest; it will have direct, real-world public safety consequences for policy and planning."

The primary focus of this research will be on the CSZ, a fault line extending over 620 miles from the northern tip of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, to Cape Mendocino in Northern California. Beneath the ocean, tectonic plates are subducting under the North American continental plate, leading to frictional stress that eventually results in an earthquake.

Diego Melgar, the center director at the University of Oregon, explained, "The main goal of the center is to bring together the large group of geoscientists working in Cascadia to march together to the beat of a singular drum."

This collaborative effort involves sixteen organizations and will harness cutting-edge technology, including high-performance computing and artificial intelligence, to model the kind of "megathrust" earthquakes that the fault is capable of producing.

Scientists will closely examine the fault to pinpoint areas of increased strain and forecast the potential consequences of an earthquake, providing valuable insights to help communities prepare for such an event.