Seattle Fault
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
The Seattle Fault cuts across Puget Sound and into Seattle itself.
The Seattle Fault is a geologic fault in the North American Plate that runs from the Issaquah Alps to Hood Canal in Washington state. It passes through Seattle, Washington just south of Downtown and is believed to be capable of generating an earthquake of at least 7.0 on the Richter scale. The Seattle Fault therefore has the potential to cause extensive damage to the city, as much of Pioneer Square and the Industrial District is built on fill, as is the downtown waterfront, which is supported by the Alaskan Way Seawall.
The Seattle Fault has not been responsible for an earthquake since the city's settlement in the 1850s.
[edit]
External links
- Seattle Fault Zone (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/pacnw/actflts/sfz/)
- Effect of Structural Heterogeneity and Slip Distribution on Coseismic Vertical Displacement from Rupture on the Seattle Fault (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2004/1010/)
