The Seattle earthquake would trigger tsunami waves that would reach shores in less than 3 minutes

A Seattle earthquake would trigger tsunami waves that would reach shores in less than three minutes, new research says.

To help emergency services create a response plan, geologists from the Department of Natural Resources conducted an earthquake’s impact on the Seattle Fault.

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Using a low-probability 7.5 magnitude earthquake scenario, a tsunami emergency plan was prepared by experts at the Washington Geological Survey.

In their simulation, tsunami waves would reach coastal areas in less than three minutes.

Areas along the east side of Bainbridge Island, Alki Point and Elliott Bay could be smashed with water, according to the research.

Their analysis revealed that waves can travel up to 3 miles inland in parts of the harbor.

The data pointed to coastal flooding and increased currents throughout the Salish Sea from Blaine to Olympia, but flooding from the tsunami would be worst closer to the fault line.

Several smaller tremors have previously shaken areas throughout the region due to the Seattle Fault, which runs east-west through Puget Sound into the city’s downtown.

Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz said there was a “long history of earthquakes” at faults in Puget Sound.

The last known earthquake on the Seattle Fault occurred about 1,100 years ago, but geological evidence shows that five other earthquakes with an estimated magnitude of 6.5 have occurred within the Seattle Fault zone in the past 3,500 years.

Ms. Franz said: “Most of the time when we think of tsunamis, we think of our outer shoreline and communities along the Pacific Ocean.

“While the history of earthquakes and tsunamis is less frequent along the Seattle Fault than in the Cascadia subduction zone, the impacts could be massive.

“So it’s important that these communities have the information they need to prepare and respond.”