A simulation released by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) shows the impact of a 7.5-magnitude earthquake on the Seattle Fault.
“Tsunami waves could be as high as 42 feet at the Seattle Great Wheel and will reach inland as far as Lumen Field and T-Mobile Park,” Washington State DNR said in a tweet Thursday. The study was prepared by geologists within the Washington Geological Survey division of DNR, according to a news release.
According to CNN, Scientists found that if a magnitude 7.5 earthquake were to occur on the Seattle Fault, tsunami waves over 40 feet tall could reach the Seattle area in fewer than 3 minutes. “Tsunami inundation and strong currents may continue for more than 3 hours from the start of the earthquake,” according to the news release.
The study shows shoreline flooding and changes to shorelines would occur throughout the Seattle area following such a powerful earthquake. The last known earthquake on the Seattle Fault happened about 1,100 years ago, the release says.
