In January 1700, the Pacific Northwest was rocked by a magnitude 9 quake comparable to the one that devastated Japan in March 2011. Far from being an isolated event, however, dating of ancient forests drowned by past tsunamis reveals that great “megathrust” quakes strikes this region every 300 to 500 years and are related to much more frequent “silent slip events.”

Mark your calendars now for the next presentation in the COS Speakers Series: Megathrust Earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest, by Dr. Bill Hirt to be held on Thursday, April 12 beginning at 7:30 pm in the Weed Campus Life Science Building, room 3.

This presentation will explore the origins of quakes along the Cascadia subduction zone and how we expect these events to affect a region that has changed dramatically during the past 400 years. For more information about the COS Speakers Series contact the COS Office of Institutional Advancement by calling (530) 938-5373.