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3 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 Our View: Volunteer security? Thanks, but no thanks ... From the Council: Public should get involved in local marijuana decisions ... Save a life: How to help someone who's contemplating suicide ... Our View: Volunteer security? Thanks, but no thanks ... From the Council: Public should get involved in local marijuana decisions ... Save a life: How to help someone who's contemplating suicide ... OUR VIEW Our View: We are not ready for The Really Big One MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jul. 23, 2015 @ 12:01 am Posted Jul. 23, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Readers of a certain age may remember the famous New Yorker magazine cover parody illustration of the country as seen from New York. The Hudson River and the areas just across it take up much of the picture, with California a tiny strip at the top. The magazine does have a reputation for being a bit parochial, focusing intently on New York despite its national circulation. But from time to time it takes an in-depth look at the Left Coast, and the latest example is a doozy. An article titled "The Really Big One" examines the science of the Cascadia Subduction Zone and the massive earthquake that could happen here in our lifetimes. Make no mistake: It will happen. The question is not if but when. And "The Really Big One" means exactly that. The article begins with a fascinating account of Japanese seismologists whose international conference was interrupted by the earthquake that struck that country in 2011. The 9.0 magnitude quake and resulting tsunami that inundated the nuclear reactors at Fukushima killed 18,000 people and caused $220 billion in damage. If you think of big earthquakes as those that have struck in California, and if you think of "the big one" in those terms, you need to recalibrate. The New Yorker piece explains that scientists say the San Andreas Fault, a much different kind of fault, can produce, at worst, an 8.2 magnitude quake. Because the magnitude scale is logarithmic, that is just 6 percent as severe as the 2011 quake in Japan. The Loma Prieta quake that struck the Bay Area in 1989 was only a 6.9. The Cascadia quake could be an 8.0 to an 8.6, if it affects only the southern part of the subduction zone. That's us. If it involves the whole thing, it could be 8.7 to 9.2. That's everybody from California to Canada, and a massive tsunami that will hit the coast approximately 15 minutes after the quake. The destruction will be worse than any natural disaster in the history of this continent, scientists say, and we are woefully unprepared.       MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jul. 23, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » 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. 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