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In recent years, natural disasters have not only become more frequent but also more intense, something that worries the entire scientific community and organizations worldwide. Everything is blamed on climate change due to natural and human factors. There are more and more hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, heat waves, cold waves or tsunamis that reach some corners of the world.
Well, tsunamis could be seen more often in some coastal areas due to increased seismic activity. This has been voiced by the New York Post after a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) and echoed by several scientists who warn in this research that there could be a mega-tsunami of more than 300 meters high, something unprecedented. However, it is unlikely, but not impossible, to happen.
These are the regions where the 300-metre megatsunami could occur
This study points out that there is one very worrying region: the Cascadia subduction zone, which runs from northern Vancouver Island in Canada to Cape Mendocino in northern California in the USA. Experts say there is more than a 15% chance of an earthquake of magnitude 8.0 or greater.
An earthquake of this magnitude, mixed with the recent rise in sea level, could cause an unprecedented megatsunami that would severely affect the states of California, Oregon and Washington. The study says that there are other high-risk areas such as Hawaii because of its seismic and volcanic activity. In this area, evidence has been found in the past that a 300-meter wave crashed into the island of Lanai more than 105,000 years ago.
In short, experts are calling for calm, but stress that we must be prepared and that the risk of a megatsunami could be more present than ever.