Skywatch Media News for September the fifth 2019 just recently another
earthquake struck off the Oregon coast at a depth of three miles the quake was
strong enough to send tremors some 460 miles from the epicenter the latest event
has residents on edge as Oregon is located near the 700 mile long fault
known as the Cascadia subduction zone the strong earthquake off the Oregon coast
comes after more than 64 tremors have rattled California in just a 24 hour
period leading some to fear that the big one is finally coming their fears are
certainly warranted now that the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network has issued a
warning for the Puget Sound area near Seattle after a 4.6 quake rocked the
area in July one of the largest events in many years for this region this of
course comes on the heels of a pair of significant earthquakes that struck
Southern California near the town of Ridgecrest
all of these events point to the heightened risk that a major seismic
event is underway along the Cascadia subduction zone which involves episodic
tremors when and not if the big one hits the Pacific Northwest it will be lights
out for Seattle and the surrounding regions the Washington State Department
of Natural Resources recently published a video simulation that shows how the
state coastline would be impacted in the hours following a megathrust earthquake
it shows that large tsunami waves would barrel in and out of the Washington
coast including through inland waterways that
connect to Seattle and its surrounding communities the waves would be generally
tall and devastating
another concern is what's known as a trough this is where water levels
suddenly recede after a seaquake followed by a rapid return ashore an
example of this is visualized in the massive 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that
pulled water out from the beach before sending it roaring back
another concern is the fact that the Cascadia Subduction Zone is located
right next to the Juan de Fuca tectonic plate which plunges underneath the North
American plate a large section of the Juan de Fuca plate is missing underneath
Central Oregon it is tearing apart and splitting this plate about 93 miles
below the surface the fact that the plate is dying under Central Oregon has
raised more concerns about how a cascading seismic event might impact the
Pacific Northwest in addition to the Cascadia, Seattle is also threatened by
the seismically active Seattle fault and the South Whidbey Island fault these
fault lines combined are overdue for a significant earthquake Hurricane Dorian
will in every practical sense become known as one of the most powerful storms
on record in the Atlantic a storm with a uniquely incredible path that brought
complete and utter destruction to the islands of the Bahamas
while sideswiping the south eastern seaboard of the United States dumping
incredible amounts of rain this will be its legacy in the annals of tropical
storms Dorian has not only brought its share of anguish to all those in its
path but it has also brought along some eerie and chilling images of its
fury and its grandeur astronauts aboard the International Space Station saw the
power of Dorian they had a unique vantage point from the rest of the world
one of those astronauts with front-row seats was Nick Hague who captured this
image of the eye of Dorian on September 2nd a few hours later there were more
space images of Dorian posted on Twitter including a chilling shot staring
directly down into the Hurricanes mighty jaws on September 1st the
International Space Station flew over the Caribbean and captured amazing
images of Hurricane Dorian from 260 miles in altitude showing the sheer size
the US Airforce Hurricane Hunters that flew into the eye of Dorian captured an
eerily calm scene from within the destructive storm on September 1st the
video from the National Hurricane Center shows the enormity of the category 5
storm as it approached the Abaco Islands packing sustained winds of 185 miles per
hour with gusts of 200 miles per hour
above the immense swirling vortex could be seen an impressive lightning display
as it continued on a path of destruction lightning flashes of this magnitude is
an ominous indication of the increased strength of this magnificent storm the
NOAA satellite image captured on August 30th shows the continuous lightning
associated with Dorian in this depiction the electrical currents have gone astray
due to a sudden change in the inner core convection this created small bursts of
energy in the center of the storm Dorian has become the fifth category 5 storm in
the Atlantic Basin in the past four years it is tied for the second
strongest landfall hurricane on record in the Atlantic dating all the way back
to 1935 Dorian remains a major category 3 hurricane as of September the 5th as
it lashes the North and South Carolina coasts with torrential rains and strong
winds as you look to the heavens know that the sky is vast it is all
encompassing everything else is pale in comparison thanks for watching