Is Seattle really overdue for an earthquake?

With a 6.6 magnitude earthquake off the coast of British Columbia’s Vancouver Island Wednesday night and reports of more than 130 earthquakes recorded near Mount Hood and Mount Rainier in the past few weeks, you might be concerned about what’s happening below Seattle.

It’s often said we’re overdue, but what exactly does that mean? Paul Caruso, geophysicist at the USGS National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colorado explained that it’s definitely not overdue like a library book.

“There’s a small plate off the coast of Washington and Oregon that’s being pushed under North America. As that plate goes under North America, it melts and erupts at the volcanoes … We say that plate is kind of locked. It hasn’t produced a large earthquake for a long time. That’s why people say it’s overdue.”

Caruso made it clear there is no exact schedule for each earthquake fault. However, he said there’s a good chance Seattle will experience a large earthquake.

“The possibility of a 9.0 earthquake occurring off the coast of Washington or Oregon is very real,” he said.

The last 9.0 earthquake in the Seattle area was on Jan. 26, 1700 – located off the coast. Caruso said there is evidence of a major landslide in the area and Japan reported a phantom tsunami soon afterward.

Scientists are in the process of developing a 60 second warning system, but there’s no clear answer for when Seattle have another large earthquake.

“If you live in the Pacific Northwest, you should always be prepared for earthquakes,” said Caruso. “It’s a reality that we can have large earthquakes here.”

Caruso said his best advice is to dive under your desk or a table if you feel shaking. He recalled a survivor being pulled from the rubble 11 days after the 2010 Chile earthquake. Caruso said the man lived on cookies, pop, and beer stashed in his desk.