bc earthquake

The settlement of people in the Pacific Northwest is heaviest along the coastline, which is coveted for its natural beauty and warmer winter climate. However, out of sight from the settlements and deep below the earth’s surface is a ticking, natural time bomb. A megathrust earthquake is not a matter of if, but when and how big. This threat of ‘The Big One’ is forgotten in the daily lives of the populous. Occasional warnings from seismologists do not convince many to consider relocation as the quality of life and the opportunity for success draws people yearly to the hazard prone region. The risk is very real as there are hundreds of smaller earthquakes every year, but big ones do occur. “The biggest earthquake in Canada occurred on August 12th, 1949, along a fault line off the coast; it was recorded at a magnitude of 8.1.” Our paper will discuss the geological processes at work off the coast of British Columbia, the scientific and native historical evidence for these catastrophic events within the Ring of Fire. The effects of a megathrust earthquake that occurred three hundred years ago are discussed in relation to Japan. A section is devoted to the technology currently being used to monitor the earth’s m

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With Vancouver’s aging structures and dense population, many people are questioning the preparedness of British Columbia in the event of a major earthquake.

Tsunami waves can be the most far-reaching destructive force in the megathrust earthquake. Though there are new building standards that contractors must adhere to, there are still no specific, comprehensive scenarios for all high-hazard, high-risk areas of the province. The Cowichan Valley is located on southeastern Vancouver Island. 0 on the Richter scale, it is inevitable that there will be considerable damage and loss of life. Seismologists connected the two catastrophes by allowing for tsunami travel time to Japan and time zone difference. Though the Japanese did not necessarily make a connection between earthquakes and tsunamis, they did keep records

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that show most of the tsunamis that occured during that time. 0 and occurred on January 26, 1700, at around 9 pm!

Another valuable source to the history of the megathrust earthquake is from legend passed down orally from generation to generation from the first nation people. At first, Japanese scientists assumed that it was the result of a local earthquake, but later investigation showed that it was the result of a giant earthquake in Cascadia. A lot of buildings are only now being built to “earthquake standards,” but the upgrading of old buildings requires time.

Conclusion:

The threat of earthquakes is constant throughout the Ring of Fire. The cost to rebuild and repair combined with the damage to the economy is staggering; often taking generations to recover. Geologists have noted changes in tree ring growth from coastal old-growth forests; this suggests a sudden, widespread

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subsidence and drowning of roots. The initial objectives of this regional array were to 1) provide high-quality GPS data for global geodynamic studies; 2) provide a precise, common reference frame for all deformation surveys carried out in this active seismic region; and 3) serve as a strain meter to map

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regional strain and monitor possible transient strain signals.

Approximate Word count = 2341
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)

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