Japan is one of the best prepared countries in the world for a major earthquake, says Dr. Chris Goldfinger, an Oregon State University professor who teaches in the College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences. Oregon, on the other hand, is “hanging by our fingernails in preparedness,” said Goldfinger. That is because of the many non-rein
forced masonary buildings in our part of the country, he claims.
Goldfinger shared his expertise with the Greater Corvallis Rotary Club about earthquakes in the Cascadia Subduction Zone, which includes much of the west coast, including the Pacific Northwest.
Goldfinger and other OSU colleagues have studied the Cascadia Plate Boundary, tracking turbendite samples from the ocean to document earthquakes dating back to the 1700. From Canada to California, they have examined plate changes to understand the potential for earthquakes.
Goldfinger says the chances of a big earthquake in the Pacific Northwest over the next 50 years is “low.” However, he encourages preparedness for our buildings and schools to lesson the impact and loss of life “in a big one.”
