Scientists raise alarm for US and Canada, warn of 100-foot tsunami that will alter geography for centuries

Scientists have warned of a 100-foot tsunami that will wash off several feet of the shore in the United States. The doomsday tsunami will be triggered by an earthquake along the Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ). This catastrophic event is almost certain to happen by 2100, and there is a 37 per cent chance that it could strike anytime in the next 50 years. The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The scary scenario has been revealed by an international team led by researchers at Virginia Tech. The Cascadia zone is a 1,126-kilometre-long fault line and stretches from Northern California to southern British Columbia in Canada. Scientists have warned that if an earthquake of magnitude 9 hits the region, a 100-foot mega tsunami would be generated, which would instantly wipe off almost eight feet of the coastline. The devastation would continue to spread, and major areas of both the US and Canada would go underwater. Also Read: Can a magnitude 9 earthquake hit Earth? This fault has a history of terror tremors

Experts warn of catastrophic earthquake and tsunami in US

Professor Tina Dura, the lead author of the study, said, "This is going to be a very catastrophic event for the US, for sure. The tsunami is going to come in, and it's going to be devastating." It would only become more ominous as the years pass by because of the changing climate. The researchers have warned that as the sea levels rise, the scenario will become even more bleak, as more land area will be under threat as the years pass by. By 2100, sea levels are predicted to rise by two feet. The areas affected by the mega tsunami would include northern Vancouver Island in Canada, the southern half of the US West Coast, and the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California. Also Read: Nankai Trough 'megaquake' could kill 300,000 people: Japan acknowledges risk, ramps up measures

Deaths and damage from Cascadia earthquake and tsunami

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has estimated that the next major earthquake in Cascadia would kill 5,800 people and injure 100,000. Nearly 618,000 buildings will be damaged or destroyed by the CSZ earthquake. The resulting tsunami would lead to the death of another 8,000 people. Thousands of schools and 100 critical care facilities would also crumble to the ground or get submerged in water, leading to an economic loss of $134 billion. The West Coast will be reshaped for hundreds of years. The regions that fall under the floodplains in Washington, Oregon, and California would expand by as much as 115 square miles. Floodplains are areas that witness historic floods at least once every 100 years. This would put more houses, roads and other infrastructure in the danger zone. Also Read: Japan can now detect earthquakes 20 seconds before they hit land. Thanks to an undersea 'nervous system'

The added scare is of subsidence. In places where the ground is sinking at a faster rate, the areas that fall under the floodplains could be double the predictions. Experts are concerned about the Cascadia zone because it has been over 300 years since it shook. The last major earthquake is reported to have occurred on January 26, 1700, and is believed to have been of magnitude 9. The tsunami devastated the village of Pachena Bay in British Columbia.