Imagine a wall of water over 1,000 feet high racing toward shore. This isn\u2019t science fiction\u2014it\u2019s a potential reality. Scientists warn that parts of the U.S. could one day face mega-tsunamis, rare disasters caused not just by earthquakes, but by massive landslides or volcanic collapses.<\/p>\n
What Is a Mega-Tsunami?
\nUnlike typical tsunamis caused by underwater quakes, mega-tsunamis result from enormous chunks of earth\u2014like collapsing volcanoes or glaciers\u2014crashing into the ocean. The resulting waves can tower thousands of feet and travel at jet-like speeds, devastating coastal areas.<\/p>\n
High-Risk Regions: Alaska, Hawaii, and the West Coast<\/p>\n
Alaska:
\nIn 1958, an earthquake-triggered landslide in Lituya Bay created a wave over 1,700 feet high\u2014the tallest ever recorded. As glaciers melt and permafrost thaws, similar disasters could recur.
\nHawaii:
\nVolcanic slopes, like those on Mauna Loa and Kilauea, are unstable. Past undersea landslides suggest ancient mega-tsunamis once hit the islands. A sudden collapse could again send massive waves across the Pacific.
\nWest Coast (Cascadia Subduction Zone):
\nStretching from Northern California to British Columbia, this fault is overdue for a major quake. A magnitude 9.0 event could trigger a 50\u2013100 foot tsunami with little warning.<\/p>\n
Are We Ready?
\nWhile hard to predict or defend against, officials are preparing through:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Imagine a wall of water over 1,000 feet high racing toward shore. This isn\u2019t science fiction\u2014it\u2019s a potential reality. Scientists warn that parts of the U.S. could one day face mega-tsunamis, rare disasters caused not just by earthquakes, but by massive landslides or volcanic collapses. What Is a Mega-Tsunami? Unlike typical tsunamis caused by underwater […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2439,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timeshow.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2438","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timeshow.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timeshow.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timeshow.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timeshow.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2438"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/timeshow.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2438\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2440,"href":"https:\/\/timeshow.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2438\/revisions\/2440"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timeshow.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timeshow.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timeshow.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timeshow.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}