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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Serious crime down in Medford ... Critter craze ... Surveillance video set to music gets leads and laughs ... Serious crime down in Medford ... Critter craze ... Surveillance video set to music gets leads and laughs ... OUR VIEW Our View: We're overdue for a big shakeup Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jan. 27, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted Jan. 27, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News In case you missed it, Monday was the anniversary of a major event in Pacific Northwest history. Don't feel bad if you let it slip by; it happened on Jan. 26, 1700, before European settlers came to this region. As a result, there is no written record of it here. There is a written record in Japan, however. That was the year a tsunami swept in from the Pacific Ocean and destroyed the country's rice harvest that had been stored in warehouses. We speak of the Great Cascadia Earthquake. Like the one that destroyed the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan, it was a subduction zone quake, the most severe kind. A subduction zone is where one tectonic plate of the earth's crust dives beneath another very, very slowly. Over the centuries, pressure builds until it is released in a rapid movement of the earth. The Cascadia Subduction Zone is responsible for the string of volcanoes making up the Cascade mountains, including Mount Mazama, which erupted and collapsed into itself about 7,500 years ago, and Mount St. Helens, which erupted in 1980. Geologists say the next big quake could happen here at any time and may, in fact, be overdue. Oregon State University researchers estimate there is a 40 percent chance the big one could happen in the next 50 years. That means it could be 60 years away or longer. It also means it could happen tomorrow. Nothing we do can prevent it. All we can do is prepare. Emergency management officials recommend stockpiling food and water and preparing to live without utilities or roads for some time. The Oregon Office of Emergency Management has issued a publication, available at  http://1.usa.gov/1y0Cu4j , on what people can do to prepare. The website http://Ready.gov  also has helpful advice for all kinds of emergencies. The city of Medford's efforts to establish a Community Emergency Response Team are part of the preparation as well. It may be tempting to shrug this off as alarmist; after all, California is where earthquakes happen, right? Right. And they happen here, too. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jan. 27, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501