Cascadia's Fault: The Coming Earthquake and Tsunami that Could Devastate North America

By Jerry Thompson and Simon Winchester

A thrillingly rendered, yet “level–headed” look at the Cascadia Subduction Zone and the devastating natural disasters it promises (Booklist)

There is a crack in the earth's crust that runs roughly 31 miles offshore, approximately 683 miles from Northern California up through Vancouver Island off the coast of British Columbia. The Cascadia Subduction Zone has generated massive earthquakes over and over again throughout geologic time—at least thirty–six major events in the last 10,000 years. This fault generates a monster earthquake about every 500 years. And the monster is due to return at any time. It could happen 200 years from now, or it could be tonight.

The Cascadia Subduction Zone is virtually identical to the offshore fault that wrecked Sumatra in 2004. It will generate the same earthquake we saw in Sumatra, at magnitude nine or higher, sending crippling shockwaves across a far wider area than any California quake. Slamming into Sacramento, Portland, Seattle, Victoria, and Vancouver, it will send tidal waves to the shores of Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, damaging the economies of the Pacific Rim countries and their trading partners for years to come.

In light of recent massive quakes in Haiti, Chile, and Mexico, Cascadia's Fault not only tells the story of this potentially devastating earthquake and the tsunamis it will spawn, it also warns us about an impending crisis almost unprecedented in modern history.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Mar 10, 2012
• ISBN: 9781619020863

Jerry Thompson

JERRY THOMPSON has worked for more than thirty years as a writer, director and journalist in Winnipeg, Calgary and Vancouver. He has also been a network news correspondent and a documentary film producer for such CBC programs as The National, The Journal and the fifth estate. His articles have appeared in Equinox, Reader’s Digest and Vancouver magazine. Thompson lives in Sechelt, B.C.

Reviews for Cascadia's Fault

[robrod1_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was an informative book, and it was very well written.

[jlbattis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

You have to read this book. That's not a suggestion. That Simon Winchester wrote the introduction speaks volumes to me, as his A Crack in the Edge of the World placed the devastating 1906 San Francisco earthquake in its proper geological perspective. This is not only the history of a future event, but the history of its acceptance as a more than probable event within the life span of the youngest of us. Read this if you live on the West Coast!

[jefware · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Coming on the heels of the Japan quake of March 2011, it strikes a great balance between sensationalism and science journalism. It is a sensational event, Cascidian Earthquake. It is also a great scientific detective story of how geophysicists came to recognize that it could happen.

[anniik_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fascinating and accessible book that traces the scientific discoveries of the danger of the Cascadia fault and how to prepare for an eventual quake/tsunami. Really enjoyed it.