PNSN.org watches earthquakes & geologic hazards of the Pacific Northwest
Title
PNSN - Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network
Description
Damaging earthquakes are well known in the Pacific Northwest, including several larger than magnitude 7. In 1965, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake shook the Seattle, Washington, area causing substantial damage and seven deaths. This event spurred the installation of the Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network (PNSN) in 1969 to monitor regional earthquake activity.
he Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network (PNSN), a member of the CNSS, is centered at the University of Washington's Dept. of Earth and Space Sciences . The PNSN is operated jointly by the University of Washington, the University of Oregon, and Oregon State University, and is funded by the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of Energy, and the State of Washington. PNSN data help scientists understand Pacific Northwest earthquake hazards, predict volcanic eruptions at Mount St. Helens, and determine the location of faults and volcanic magma chambers.
he scenic beauty of the Pacific Northwest landscape reflects active geologic processes. An offshore plate tectonic boundary, the Cascadia Subduction Zone, closely parallels the coastline of Washington and Oregon. Each year several thousand Pacific Northwest earthquakes are recorded, although only a few dozen earthquakes are large enough to be felt. Many are located near the urban areas of Seattle and Portland, where damaging earthquakes occur every 30 years or so. In addition, huge earthquakes occur directly on the Cascadia Subduction Zone margin every few hundred years, the last one in 1700.
