3000 QUAKES WITHIN 72 HOURS OFF NW COAST

by EYE_OF_NEWT, Monday, March 07, 2005, 01:53

Over 3000 Quakes Within
72 Hours Off NW Coast
By Mitch Battros - ECTV
3-6-5

This story has caught fire. Seismologist and Geologists are rushing in from all over the world to witness this event. At this time, the only press release is "Don't worry, the earthquakes are not large enough to create a tsunami."

That being said, the excitement is more about witnessing a growing 'volcano' right off the coast of Vancouver Island. A scientific 'SWAT team' from Seattle is sailing this afternoon for a spot off the coast of Vancouver Island, where they suspect an underwater eruption is under way.?

"We really don't know what to expect," said Edward Baker, an oceanographer at the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, which is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). "If we're very lucky, we may get pictures of?brand-new lava on the seafloor." This news release began as a slow simmer, and has now picked up speed and a whole lot of attention, and rightfully so.

Recent studies of past earthquakes indicate a natural cyclical pattern. Although it may be a natural periodic occurrence, no one knows exactly when, how and where the next round of seismic events will unfold. It appears the most vulnerable areas are U.S. Midwest (New Madrid), eastern Canada, Australia?and Germany.

A recent Smithsonian Institute article reports: "Three hundred years of tectonic pressure has now built up since the 1700 tsunami occurred. A recent study estimates that 10 million people on the U.S. West Coast would be affected by a Cascadia subduction-zone quake. Today, the shaking from a quake of the same magnitude would damage 200 highway bridges, put Pacific ports out of business for months, and generate shock waves capable of toppling tall buildings and long bridges in Seattle and Portland."