Discovery leads UW scientists to much better comprehend earthquake threat

A new discovery off the Oregon coast is resulting in a much better understanding of what triggers earthquake in the northwest. (University of Washington).

( University of Washington).



BY BILL KACZARABA.

MyNorthwest Content Editor.

Warm liquid seeping from the ocean flooring off Oregon is offering University of Washington researchers more details about the hazard of a major earthquake in the northwest.

The UW-led group made the discovery during a weather-related delay for a cruise aboard a research study vessel. The ship's sonar showed unforeseen plumes of bubbles about three-quarters of a mile below the ocean's surface area.

An underwater robotic revealed the bubbles were just a minor element of warm, chemically unique fluid gushing from the seafloor sediment.

" They checked out in that instructions and what they saw was not just methane bubbles, but water coming out of the seafloor like a firehose," Evan Solomon, UW associate professor of oceanography, said. "That's something that I've never seen, and to my understanding has not been observed prior to.".

Researchers named the distinct undersea spring Pythia's Oasis. The spring is believed to come from water 2.5 miles underneath the seafloor at the plate border, regulating stress on the overseas fault.

The Cascadia Subduction Zone includes a "megathrust" fault that stretches from Northern Vancouver Island to Cape Mendocino, California. It is a significant earthquake issue for researchers.

" The megathrust fault zone resembles an air hockey table," Solomon stated. "If the fluid pressure is high, it's like the air is turned on, implying there's less friction and the two plates can slip. If the fluid pressure is lower, the 2 plates will lock-- that's when tension can develop.".

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A research study in the journal Science Advances described the discovery of warm, chemically unique liquid shooting up from the seafloor about 50 miles off Newport, Oregon. It was found by previous UW Chief Scientist Brendan Philip, now a White House ecological consultant.

Calculations suggest the fluid is coming straight from the Cascadia megathrust, where temperature levels are estimated at between 300 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

These strike-slip faults, where areas of ocean crust and sediment slide past each other, exist due to the fact that the ocean plate hits the continental plate at an angle, putting tension on the overlying continental plate.

Fluid launched from the fault zone resembles leaking lubricant, Solomon said. That's bad news for earthquake threats: Less lubricant means tension can develop to develop a destructive quake.

This is the very first recognized website of its kind, though comparable fluid seep sites may exist nearby, Solomon included, they are hard to discover from the ocean's surface.

A substantial fluid leak off main Oregon might discuss why the northern portion of the Cascadia Subduction Zone, off the coast of Washington, is believed to be more strongly locked, or combined, than the southern area off the coast of Oregon.

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