Catastrophic earthquakes may occur in North America

A chain of catastrophic earthquakes could occur in North America, according to The New York Times.

Scientists believe that if a powerful earthquake occurs off the Pacific coast, it could trigger a series of new disasters.

New research shows that if a strong tremor occurs in the Cascadia subduction zone, it could trigger an earthquake on the San Andreas Fault in California.

University of Oregon professor Chris Goldfinger pointed out that the Cascadia earthquake is already considered potentially the most destructive in North American history.

“But if the San Andreas also triggers at the same time, the disaster will be even greater,” he said.

The Cascadia zone stretches from Vancouver Island in Canada to northern California. Here, the Juan de Fuca oceanic plate is slowly subducting beneath the North American continental plate, creating strong tension in the Earth’s crust.

It is at the point where they meet that destructive movement can begin.

Goldfinger and his team accidentally found evidence of a possible connection between the two faults back in 1999.

They took samples of bottom sediments off the coast and discovered unusual traces of underwater landslides, which, as it turned out, were formed as a result of two consecutive earthquakes—first in Cascadia, then in San Andreas.

According to their data, over the past 2,500 years, all major earthquakes in Cascadia have coincided with tremors in San Andreas.

Not all scientists agree with this conclusion. Seismologist Lucy Jones of the California Institute of Technology believes that additional evidence is needed to rule out a simple coincidence.

“We often see patterns where there are none. That’s why it’s important to test this statistically,” she said.

Nevertheless, she acknowledges that the connection between the two faults seems logical.

According to her, a strong earthquake in one place can indeed affect neighboring areas. “The most dangerous day is the day after a big earthquake,” Jones added.

VIDEO. The San Andreas Fault – Is a huge earthquake looming in California?| DW Documentary.