Seismologists reassured Pacific Northwest residents that they are not in danger after a swarm of more than 50 earthquakes was detected off the Oregon coast. Researchers say that the Blanco Transform Fault Zone poses little threat.
The United States Geological Survey.
In the past 24 hours, at least 50 earthquakes, including two at a 5.8 magnitude, have been generated by the Blanco Transform Fault Zone off of Oregon's coast.
Scientists say the fault is incapable of generating a cataclysm, either by a powerful earthquake or a wave.
The swarm of earthquakes hit 200 miles from shore. People were worried that the activity might mean the end of The Big One.
A user on the social networking site asked if the Cascadia subduction zone was talking after the 5.8 earthquake. They said that the fault line that runs from northern California up to British Columbia would not be good.
Not to worry, geological said.
The big fault under land won't be affected by the Blanco Fracture Zone because it isn't connected to the subduction zone.
M5s are very common and have never been followed on land. Lucy Jones, a seismologist, said that plate tectonics were happening in real time.
The strike-slip boundary of the Blanco Fault Zone is a transform. Subduction zones are where the most dangerous and powerful faults are usually found.
"This is the most active fault in North America, and it is not cause for alarm," said Harold Tobin, who leads the Pacific Northwest Seismology Network.
The Cascadia Subduction Zone has not generated an earthquake since 1700, but the Blanco zone is farther out in the ocean.
A warm cookie has been compared to the fractured zone.
Because of the frequent activity of the Blanco zone, it has become a favorite study area for seismologists and researchers. Dana Hunter, a geology writer, once said, "The BFZ is seriously awesome and a lot of fun to get to know!"
Hunter said that the fault's quakes aren't likely to be felt on the coast because the Blanco has a warm, young crust.
People who live along the Oregon coast should not worry about a wave coming from the fault, according to scientists.
"You need a lot of vertical displacement on the ocean floor to generate a wave, and earthquakes along the Blanco fault don't generate it," seismologist Jochen Braunmiller said in 2008, when he was at Oregon State University.
In the same year that Braunmiller and his colleagues published their paper about the fault zone, OSU researchers reported a swarm of 600 earthquakes.
Residents can be forgiven for keeping an eye on the Cascadia Subduction Zone.
According to the Oregon Office of Emergency, there is a chance of a 9.1 magnitude earthquake in the Cascadia Subduction Zone and a 100 feet high wave in the coastal area.
Scientists are predicting that there will be a megathrust earthquake in the next 50 years.
This story was originally published in the Morning Edition live blog.
