Cascadia’s Big One: Science, Risk, and Preparedness for Earthquakes

The Pacific Northwest sits beside the Cascadia Subduction Zone, capable of producing a massive earthquake. What would that mean for places like Portland and the coast? This talk explains the basics of earthquake science, what to expect during a Cascadia event, and simple, practical steps to prepare. From shaking in cities to tsunami risk on the coast, learn how to stay safe and build resilience—at home and in your community.

Earthquake hazard in the Pacific Northwest is not only driven by the offshore Cascadia Subduction Zone, but also active faults on land. In Oregon, faults such as the Gales Creek, and Mt. Hood fault zone may pose significant but understudied hazards. New lidar imagery has revealed many previously unknown faults across the PNW region. Ongoing research uses paleoseismic data to identify past earthquakes and fault movement, helping improve seismic hazard characterization and our understanding of earthquake hazards in the Pacific Northwest.