California at risk of DEVASTATING tsunami – Experts warn tragedy is LONG OVERDUE

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California is overdue a tsunami

The state is currently in the midst of Tsunami Preparedness Week where experts are looking to highlight the risk of a devastating huge wave.

Just off the coast of California lies a fault known as the Cascadia – which is up to 30 times more powerful than its more famous neighbour, the San Andreas fault.

The difference between Cascadia and San Andreas is that the former is a subduction zone, where plates lie on top of each other, whereas in the latter they sit diagonally.

As a result, subduction zone faults can cause much more damage.

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California is overdue a tsunami

Chris Goldfinger, professor of Geophysics at Oregon State University told CNN: "The Cascadia fault can cause an earthquake with almost 30 times more energy than that of San Andreas and then generate a tsunami that San Andreas can not create.”

The last time the Cascadia fault rumbled was in 1700, causing a tsunami to occur in California.

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The tsunami could wipe out 11,000 peopl

However, experts warn that it usually strikes every 300 to 500 years, meaning that one could happen any moment.

The next time Cascadia tremors, the impact could be huge.

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Experts predict a tremor registering up to nine on the Richter scale which could cause nine metre tall waves. These waves have the potential to kill 11,000 people in the state and injure a further 26,000, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Professor Goldfinger warns: ”The more we know about it, the less we like it.”

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