Seattle Fault | |
---|---|
Etymology | Seattle |
Coordinates | 47°36′36″N 122°19′59″W / 47.610°N 122.333°W |
Country | United States |
State | Washington |
Cities | Seattle |
Characteristics | |
Part of | Puget Sound faults |
Length | 70 km (43 mi) |
Tectonics | |
Plate | North American |
Status | Active |
Earthquakes | c. 900 CE |
Type | Thrust fault |
Movement | Reverse |
Age | Eocene-recent (40-0 Ma) |
The Seattle Fault is a zone of multiple shallow east–west thrust faults that cross the Puget Sound Lowland and through Seattle (in the U.S. state of Washington) in the vicinity of Interstate Highway 90. The Seattle Fault was first recognized as a significant seismic hazard in 1992, when a set of reports showed that about 1,100 years ago it was the scene of a major earthquake of about magnitude 7 – an event that entered Native American oral traditions. Extensive research has since shown the Seattle Fault to be part of a regional system of faults.