Relative tsunami hazard from segments of Cascadia subduction zone for Mw
7.5-9.2 earthquakes
Abstract
Tsunamis from earthquakes of various magnitudes have affected Cascadia
in the past. Simulations of Mw>7.5–9.2 earthquakes
constrained by earthquake rupture physics and geodetic locking models
show that Mw>8.5 events initiating in the middle segments
of the subduction zone can create coastal tsunami amplitudes comparable
to those from the largest expected event. The simulations reveal that
the concave coastline geometry of the Pacific Northwest coastline
focuses tsunami energy between latitudes 44°-45° in Oregon. The possible
coastal tsunami amplitudes are largely insensitive to the choice of slip
model for a given magnitude. These results are useful for identifying
the most hazardous segments of the subduction zone and demonstrate that
a worst-case rupture scenario does not uniquely yield the worst-case
tsunami scenario at a given location.