Cascadian Alert: March 2021

Well, it's time to once again take an even more serious look at the Cascadia region and the geologic structure which most likely resides deep beneath the surface of the landmass. It is also time to consider that massive earthquake which appears to be destined to happen at some point in the days ahead. Now, be forewarned. Your are about to hear things, possibly even some rather strange or foreign-sounding things, which you likely have never heard before. And, in all of this, there is a chance that the writer may need to make this entry quick and get it out to people, before the massive earthquake actually does happen and then completely "steals his thunder," by revealing the truth which the writer has planned on writing about for quite some time.

Not only will this post speak about the Cascadia region and a big rift and a coming earthquake, but there is also included information which helps to reveal a special interaction between the Pacific Plate and the North American continent in earlier times as ancient North American made its westward voyage across the face of the earth. There is also include information about four notable seamount and island chains in the Pacific Ocean, which are located in both in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, which have been created by hotspots. These four chains tell an important story about the nature of the interaction between the Pacific Plate and the westward moving North American continent, for these four seamount and island chains all have a rather puzzling bend in them.

This post will look closely at the story told by the bends in these hotspot tracks on the Pacific Plate. It will also look at the story told by features which are embedded in the landmass of North America. And, as the writer has time, further information will be added which indicates that a very powerful geologic event took place in earlier times. The story is found in geologic features which are located even far inland from the Pacific Coast of North America. These features also help to tell the story about the geologic structure which likely resides beneath the Cascadia region. All of the picture which will be shown works to indicate what a Cascadia earthquake event could be like, should Cascadia bust loose in all its seismic glory.

Now, when it comes to geology and earthquakes, let us note the following quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson: "We learn geology the morning after the earthquake, on ghastly diagrams of cloven mountains, upheaved plains, and the dry bed of the sea."(1)(2)(3) Unfortunately, it appears that this is the way things often are, even for the "pros." In regards to this type of thing, the record shows that even professional scientists can be utterly surprised and blindsided by what happens during earthquakes and other geologic events. Once major events happen, there are often new things that the scientists discover, which are different from that which they had formerly thought or expected, or were different from what their computer models indicated things would be like.

SURPRISED SCIENTISTS

Let us begin this discussion by first looking at just some of the geologic events which have surprised and blindsided the scientists in relatively recent times. A page linked here speaks about a deadly earthquake which took place in Mexico in 2017. The page states that the "deadly quake did not come from the place many geologist thought would unleash the next 'big one'." Note in the page that the fault which produced the deadly quake had not even been of great concern to "building planners or seismologists." Again, they had been looking elsewhere for the next major quake. Well, they got things wrong here and people got bit. Possibly the "computer gods" and "whiz kids" failed them big-time on this one. Now, could something similar happen in Cascadia?

Pages linked here and here speak about the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake in the South Island of New Zealand. Note that the professionals "said the earthquake's characteristics could not have been predicted by existing models." One of the "pros" also stated: "Some of the apparent jumps between faults I don't think any seismic hazards model in the world would have considered a possible scenario." So, from what is stated in the page, it is rather obvious that the models of the "computer gods" did not fit with what happened in real life in this case either.

In one of the pages linked above, one of the professionals declared: "We're starting to see these earthquakes that seem to defy what we thought." That same pro had to declare: "If [the Kaikoura earthquake] had happened 1000 years ago...if you were to look at it with current paleoseismic methods that are available you would see it as separate individual events. You would never consider it as a single rupture." It should be noted that the scientists ended up being "shocked at how the earthquake played out."

Well, possibly the scientists have not really seen anything yet, compared to what can really happen on this Earth. Truly, will the "computer gods" and "whiz kids" also fail us, when it comes to what will actually happen in the Cascadia region? Will the scientists be blindsided and utterly stunned by how the next Cascadia quake event plays out, should it break loose in all its glory? Could that mean additional lives lost, which potentially could have been prevented, had the "computer gods" and "whiz kids" really had things right?

Before the writer forgets about it and gets on to something else, there is an important question to ask when considering what is said a couple of paragraphs above. That paragraph indicates that with the use of "current paleoseismic methods" for dating things, the various things which happened in the Kaikoura earthquake would have each been classed "as separate individual events" which would have happened at different times. Now, does this possibly indicate that things have virtually all happened a lot faster in the geologic history of this Earth than they have been claiming and that the millions and billions of years spoken about in science should realistically be shrunken to a much smaller period of time? Truly, when are people going to wake up to what has really been going on here?

Moving onward, a page linked here speaks of the major quakes which took place in 2004, 2011, and 2016. Regarding each of these major quakes, the page states that "in every case, the Earth did something scientists absolutely did not expect." Why? Because it appears that their computer models and "whiz kids" had things wrong. Regarding the scientists, the page states: "They're consistently surprised by megaquakes that ruptured areas larger than they thought possible or in places they never predicted." Now, will it be any different in the Cascadia region, especially if their computer models are potentially flawed, because things are different than those in control have thought all along?

Now, when it comes to major quakes, a page linked here has it right. It says: "Expect the Unexpected." When it comes to what has been going on, the page indicates that the scientists, who they do class as "experts," have been taken by surprise in these major events because they didn't think a particular geologic feature "was capable of generating a quake that strong." Well, it appears that their "computer gods" and "whiz kids" had things seriously wrong. Looking at what has been going on for a very long time, there is reason to suspect that they are, even now, seriously underestimating things for the Cascadia region and its coming earthquake. Now, there is even more to consider.

The page linked here is titled Blindsided by Ferocity Unleashed by a Fault. It speaks about the 2011 earthquake in Japan. Note that the "computer gods" and "whiz kids" had their seismic hazards map all figured out and printed up with pretty colors. Yes, it looked fancy, but, unfortunately, nature just decided to ignore their fancy map and then show them a thing or two about reality. Now, what is really scary is that in this page is found the following quote: "If you were going to site a nuclear reactor, you would base it on a map like this." And, when it came to what happened in Japan, note the following: "'I was surprised,' Dr. Toda said. 'Nobody expected magnitude 9.'" Will the general nature of the scientific reaction be any different after the next full-scale Cascadia event, possibly because their computer models will be found to be inconsistent with real life?

There is another thing which can be learned from the 2011 earthquake in Japan. A page linked here is titled Two Years Later: Lessons from Japan's Tohoku Earthquake. This page contains an important lesson about those who sometimes seem to be in control. When it came to foreknowledge about the size of earthquakes which could happen in Japan and what the tsunami records indicated, the linked page states: "Many researchers before Tohoku had published the tsunami records, but earthquake modelers didn't believe the geological data because their models didn't replicate them." So, the "computer gods" and "whiz kids" thought they knew it all, but they got things totally wrong and many thousands of people died because of it. Many thousands of people died, because the "whiz kids" negligently did not want to believe what the geologic record clearly showed. Could something similar happen in Cascadia?

BASING THINGS ON OTHER MODELS

A page linked here is titled Outbreak of great quakes underscores Cascadia risk. There is something important to note in this page. It speaks about the 2004 Sumatra quake and the 2011 Japan quake. It notes that these two major quakes "were surprisingly different from one another despite their similar geologic settings." Now, is there possibly a mistake being made in the Cascadia region when some of the "pros" or others are basing what could happen in Cascadia off of what happened in Japan in 2011?(1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7) It does appear that Cascadia is unique and possibly very different from what they have been stating for quite some time, as we shall soon see. Well, the seismologist Thorne Lay has it figured right, when he stated: "We do not fully understand the limits of what can happen."

While we are looking at things, we might as well look at Mount Saint Helens in Washington state, which blew its top in 1980. When Mount Saint Helens blew, it did something different than the scientists had commonly been expecting. And now, in a page linked here, scientists are saying that Mount Saint Helens isn't where it should be. Well, Nature possibly does not care what the scientists think about how things should be set up on this earth. Nature just does what it seems to do best --- by pulling one trick after another out of its bag, so it can make scientists look just a bit out of touch. Yes, things are possibly set up just a bit different on this earth (1), especially in Cascadia, than the scientists have been thinking for a long time.

ZEROING IN ON CASCADIA

Now, let's get down to business. In this post, the writer will present what history and the geologic signs indicate, at least to him, about what certain features of the Cascadia geology may really be like, deep beneath the western coastal States of the United States. The writer will also present his thoughts on where it appears that the epicenters may be generally located (whether far off the coast of western North America, or possibly directly under the landmass, rather far inland) for the next, massive and devastating Cascadia Megaquake.

As this blog-post begins, there are a couple of things which the writer believes should be fresh in our minds. An image linked here shows that which is commonly called the Cascadia Megathrust Fault. In an image linked here, the line of the Cascadia Megathrust Fault, off the West Coast of North America, can also be seen. To the west of the Cascadia fault line can be seen the outline of a small segment of what is commonly called the Explorer plate, in the north. Then, in the middle, is the larger segment of the Juan de Fuca plate. To the south lies a small piece of the Gorda plate. Later, in this post, the writer will speak about his thoughts on these three sections of ocean plate, which lie between the continental landmass and the Pacific plate.

Now, check out the images accessed by the following links: (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7). The linked images illustrate what is commonly taught as being the geologic structure beneath the Cascadia region. Now, the writer will begin to present some thoughts about what he feels may be a more accurate representation of the geologic structure residing beneath the Cascadia region. The structure which the writer believes may exist will truly have a great effect on the destructive power of the next, massive Cascadia earthquake, plus it will have an effect on the location of the epicenters for the coming quake event.

THE ANCIENT RIFT SYSTEM

As we begin to consider the fault or rift zone which may be involved in the next, massive and devastating Cascadia earthquake event, there is something to look at which generally everyone tends to agree upon. Most geologists tend to agree that there is some type of a rift zone in the bottom of the Gulf of California, between the mainland of Mexico and Baja California, or between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate (1)(2)(3). It appears that most geologists agree that this rift zone, which is part of the oceanic rift system, extends northwards, beneath the landmass, to the area of the Salton Sea, in California. Then, from the Salton Sea, it appears that there is at least some disagreement within the geologic community over which direction the rift continues in its generally northward passage, deep beneath the landmass.

It is commonly taught by the educators of our day that, from the area of the Salton Sea, the rift follows the San Andreas Fault through the landmass and then goes back out to sea north of San Francisco, California. But, there are at least some who have a different idea on where the ancient oceanic rift is actually located beneath the landmass.

A document linked here is titled Siting of Large Volcanic Centers at Releasing Fault Stepovers, Walker Lane Rift. On PDF page 5 of 54, the document declares that the Walker Lane Belt "has the structure that is the most similar to Gulf of California transtensional rift basins..." Now, the Walker Lane generally is located along and off the eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada (1)(2)(3)(4)(5). So, in an attempt to help clear up discrepancies in the possible location for the buried oceanic rift system, it is time for a very logical, important and key question. What is a common feature of rift zones or plate boundaries?

As seen in pages accessed by the following links: (1)(2)(3)(4)(5), there are commonly things like lava fountains and volcanoes associated with rift zones and plate boundaries. Now, if the San Andreas Fault marks the location of the buried oceanic rift, then where are all the various volcanoes which logically should be found along its path?

On the other hand, east of the Sierra Nevada, along the path of the Walker Lane, there are numerous volcanoes and other volcanic features (1)(2)(3). And then, at the northern end of the Walker Lane, resides the volcanic peak of Mount Lassen (1), with Mount Shasta and the other volcanoes of the Cascade Mountains lined up to the north of Mount Lassen (also called Lassen Peak) (1)(2)(3). The writer has reason to believe that the volcanoes mark the general location of the buried, former oceanic rift system which is now located deep beneath the surface of the landmass.

OTHER REVEALING FEATURES

About this time, some may be asking for other indications that the ancient, oceanic rift system lies buried rather far inland, under the western states of California, Oregon and Washington. Okay, that is fair enough. For starters, in northwest California and southwest Oregon resides the Klamath Mountains. Now, a page linked here states: "The rocks of the Klamath Mountains originated as island arcs and continental fragments in the Pacific Ocean." Looking further into this matter, a page linked here states: "The Klamath Mountains originated...as a volcanic island arc, which was accreted onto the moving North American continent."

There is something else to consider at this point. The Klamath Mountains were possibly originally islands on top of the oceanic rift system, before the North American continent moved westward across the Pacific Ocean to its present location. And then, when the North American continent moved to its current location on the face of this earth, the powerful collision with the oceanic islands embedded the Klamath Mountains far into the continental landmass and virtually up against the Cascade Mountains (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6).

Looking further to the north at the section of the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington, but downstream from the Cascade Mountains, there is something else which should be noted. From the Cascade Mountains, the Columbia River flows westward. At Portland, Oregon, the Columbia River turns to the north and continues in that direction all the way to Longview, Washington. At that point, the Columbia River once again turns to the west and generally continues in that way, all the way to its outlet at the Pacific Ocean.

It appears that the north-south section of the Columbia River, between Portland and Longview, is caused by the northward movement of the landmass which is located further to the west of the Cascade Mountains. To the writer, there is reason to suspect that a segment of the true rift between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate could potentially reside far beneath that north-south section of the Columbia River.

Speaking of the landmass to the west of the Cascade Mountains moving to the north, in the left column of a page linked here, under the section titled Geologic Setting, it declares: "The Washington Coast Range and Olympic Mountains represent part of a forearc sliver that is moving northward relative to the Cascade Range..." A page linked here is titled Has the Washington-Oregon Coast Range moved northward? The findings noted in the page suggest "that the Coast Range has moved northward several hundred kilometres, relative to stable North America." That's the movement of the coastal area, while much less movement has occurred further inland, in the area of Portland, Oregon and Longview, Washington.

Let us now look a bit closer at the Olympic Mountains in northwest Washington. There is a Wikipedia page, linked here, which has some information which is worth considering. Regarding the formation of the Olympic Mountains, the page declares: "...Vents and fissures opened under the Pacific ocean and lava flowed forth, creating huge underwater mountains and ranges called seamounts. Some of the sea floor...was scraped off and jammed against the mainland [of North America] ...that was the forerunner of today's Olympics." The vents and fissures which produced the forming Olympic Mountains were likely associated with a section of the ancient, oceanic ridge and rift system, which now appears to be buried beneath the landmass.

Looking at further information about the process by which the Olympic Mountains were created, a page from the Wenatchee Valley College site, which is linked here, states: "The Olympic Mountains...is an accretionary complex with a bend in it, as if the sheets of oceanic crust were thrust into a corner, an indentation at the edge of the continent. Some geologists have suggested that this may be what actually happened." Now we have some bits and pieces to look at more closely. And then, later in this post, the writer will present his views on why these sheets of oceanic crust would have been "snagged" by the westward moving North American continent and then thrust upwards to form the Olympic Mountains which we see today.

From what is stated a couple of paragraphs above, it appears that the Olympic Mountains may have started out as huge underwater mountains and ranges which were formed on top of vents and fissures which had opened in the floor of the Pacific Ocean. Now, once again, there is reason to believe that the underwater mountains and seamounts were formed on top of the early oceanic rift system which then existed in the more eastern part of the ancient Pacific Ocean. These early mountains and seamounts forming on top of the oceanic rift in the ancient Pacific Ocean would have been similar to how Iceland (1)(2)(3) has been formed (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7) on top of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and Rift system, or how the Hawaiian Islands have been formed on top of a hotspot which is associated with the creation of the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12) in the Pacific Ocean.

Now, we have some things to think about. For starters, there is reason to suspect that the Klamath Mountains of southwest Oregon and northwest California, along with the Olympic Mountains of northwest Washington, were features which were initially formed on top of the ancient oceanic ridge and rift system. This section of the oceanic ridge and rift system existed far out in the ancient Pacific Ocean, before the North American continent moved westward to its present location on the face of the earth. Let's say that, in ancient times, it was located far out in the ocean from the western edge of the North American continent, somewhat like how the Mid-Atlantic ridge and rift system is now located far off the eastern edge of the North American continent, after this continent had its westward voyage.

THE GEOLOGIC "TRAIN WRECK"

As the westward moving North American continent approached the ridge and rift system in the Pacific Ocean, let us say that it first slammed into the islands which now make up the Klamath Mountains. Further to the north, at about the same time, the underwater segment of the moving continent slammed into the underwater mountains and those portions of the underwater ranges which now make up the Olympic Mountains. As the large continent slammed into these much smaller islands and underwater mountains, the weight and force behind the much larger continent forced the islands and mountains associated with the oceanic ridge and rift system to be moved somewhat to the west of the oceanic rift.

Let us say that this forcing of the oceanic features in a westward direction then put a lot of pressure on the western side of the ridge and rift system, causing some deformation and upward buckling to take place. This buckling may have then allowed the westward moving continent to then "snag" the western side of the ridge and rift system, as the continent generally overrode the rift system, which "snagging" then forced the edges of the sheets of oceanic crust to bend upward, which then created at least the geologic situation which has been observed in the area of the Olympic Mountains of Washington state.

It is now time for a bit more of that visualization. If, in the powerful collision of the North American continent, the Klamath "islands" and the Olympic Mountains were moved somewhat to the west of the oceanic rift system on top of which they were initially formed, yet were still embedded rather far into the westward moving continental landmass at it generally overrode the ridge and rift system, that would logically mean that the ancient oceanic ridge and rift system would now have to be buried deep beneath the continental landmass, possibly far inland under the states of California, Oregon and Washington.

Logically speaking, there is reason to suspect that the ancient oceanic rift would be buried somewhat to the east of the center of the Klamath Mountains complex and the center of the Olympic Mountains complex. The north-south section of the Columbia River, between Portland, Oregon and Longview, Washington, may possibly indicate where at least a section of the deeply buried, north-south-aligned ridge and rift system may be generally located under the landmass.

LOOKING AT "TELL-TALE" SIGNS

Let us now ask some very important questions. Was the North American continent moving ever-so-slowly in its westward voyage across the ocean, or was it possibly moving along at a rather rapid pace? Was the collision of the North American continent with the Klamath "islands" and the Olympic undersea mountains a rather fast moving event, or was it something which happened over millions or billions of years at a pace of a relatively few centimeters per year? Well, is there anything in the geologic record which could help indicate how fast the continent may have been moving, whether extremely slow or rather rapidly, plus how quick the collision occurred?

Far out in the Pacific Ocean from the West Coast of the United States is a geologic feature which is commonly called the Hawaiian Ridge-Emperor Seamount Chain. The location of this very large geologic feature can be seen in illustrations within pages accessed by the following links: (1)(2)(3). It is commonly said that the islands in the Hawaiian-Emperor Seamount Chain were created because of a hotspot located deeper in the earth, which was causing volcanoes and islands to "grow" on the Pacific Plate which was moving above the hotspot. But, there is one very puzzling feature about this seamount chain. There is a mysterious, sharp bend in the chain of seamounts, which sharp bend has caused some controversy in the scientific community (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6).

Now, this bend in the Hawaiian-Emperor Chain, by itself, does clearly present some questions. Furthermore, there is actually more to consider in this story. A page linked here contains an illustration which also shows the Hawaiian-Emperor Seamount Chain, with that very sharp bend. Now, the linked page provides information which creates a much larger and more complete picture. It appears that the Austral Group of islands and undersea features, along with the Tuamotu Group of islands and undersea features, which are located, for the most part, in the Southern Hemisphere, also contain sharp bends in their chains of geologic features. But, there is even more to consider in this story.

Looking at things further, a page linked here adds the Kodiak Island-Cobb Seamount Chain to this whole mix of sharply bent oceanic chain features. Now, we are not just dealing with one hotspot at the Hawaiian-Emperor Seamount Chain, but we are dealing with four bent chains at different hotspot places on the Pacific Plate. So, it appears to be rather clear that some rather unusual, powerful event affected virtually the whole Pacific Plate. It appears that this unusual event was so strong and powerful that it changed the direction of travel for the whole Pacific Plate. Now, what was that powerful event which changed the direction of travel for the Pacific Plate?

There is reason to suspect that is was the powerful impact of the westward moving North American continent with things like the Klamath "islands" and the Olympic undersea mountains, plus with other features on the oceanic ridge and rift system at the edge of the Pacific Plate, which caused this sudden change in the direction in which the Pacific Plate was moving. Furthermore, because it appears that the westward moving continent "snagged" the western lip of the oceanic ridge and rift, there was even more of a physical coupling to then cause the forced westward movement of the Pacific Plate. It appears that the original, generally northward movement of the Pacific Plate, combined with the general western movement of the continental landmass, resulted in the northwest movement of the Pacific Plate which has now existed for some time.

INDICATIONS OF SPEED

Well, there is another important thing to decide. Once again, was the North American continent moving very slowly in its westward voyage across the face of the earth, possibly at centimeters per year over a span of millions or billions of years, or, was the continent moving rather rapidly in its westward voyage? What do the sharp bends in the seamount and island chains tell us? Now, let's truly get logical and very real.

If the North American continent, in its westward voyage, was moving very slowly and just slowly pushed against features like the Klamath "islands" and the Olympic seamounts, as they were then deeply embedded into the landmass, there is reason to suspect that the bend in the four different seamount chains, some far out in the Pacific Ocean, would not have been so sharp. If the collision process was a very slow-moving event, instead of a sharp bend in those seamount chains, there would have realistically been a rather long, sweeping curve.

The sharp bend which is found in the four seamount chains, which are located at different places on the Pacific Plate, tends to indicate that it was very likely a very fast-moving, violent collision between the westward moving North American continent and the geologic features which were located on the oceanic ridge and rift system. Furthermore, the embedding of the now Klamath Mountains virtually up against the Cascade Mountains on the North American continent also tends to indicate that it was a rather fast-moving and violent and very forceful and powerful collision which occurred between the continent and the oceanic features.

CURRENT LOCATION OF THE BURIED RIFT

Considering the things presented so far in this post, there is reason to suspect that the ancient oceanic ridge and rift system lies deep below the surface, far inland in the western states of California, Oregon and Washington. That is possibly the true reason for all those volcanoes and other volcanic features which are associated with the Walker Lane, which lies to the east of the Sierra Nevada in California. This is also possibly the true reason for those many volcanoes in the Cascade Mountains. Now, since the North American continent, on its western edge, is now "bridging over" the ancient oceanic ridge and rift system, the rift is basically locked and requires a whole lot of stress in order to break things loose. That is why those famous Cascadia earthquakes are, historically, so very large and devastating.

Well, folks, it's time to hear something which you possibly did not want to know about. If the massive Cascadia earthquakes are initiated by movement between the edge of the Pacific Plate and the true edge of the North American Plate, where may the epicenters for the next, massive Cascadia earthquake event possibly be located? Will they be located far offshore in the Pacific Ocean at the so-called Cascadia Subduction Zone, or will they be located far inland, like possibly along the Interstate-5 corridor or even closer to the Cascade Mountains? As a hint, a page linked here has a picture of Portland, Oregon, with the following caption underneath: "Portland and other areas of the Pacific Northwest would be unrecognizable if the earthquake hits as hard as predicted."

When considering potential devastation in cities like Seattle, Washington and Olympia, plus potential devastation in Portland, Oregon and Salem, Oregon, there is more to add to this story. A page-section linked here is titled Findings From GPS Data. Quotes in the linked section come from another linked source.

The linked source states: "...The upper limit of transient slip in the vicinity of Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, British Columbia comes close to the heavily urbanized regions." The source speaks of "observed interseismic deformation patterns, which [are] consistent with significant plate coupling extending closer to urbanized areas than has been previously thought." The source notes that the geologic stress is "likely accumulating much closer to the population centers of the Pacific Northwest than previously supposed."

The source quoted in the page-section linked above indicates that a large share of the coupling strength in the geologic structure beneath the Pacific Northwest, which coupling strength may have a great effect on the devastation created by the next Cascadia event, is retained "as far east as the Puget Lowlands." From what the source also indicates, it appears that the major cities and heavily populated urban areas in the Pacific Northwest may get pounded far worse than the "pros" have been telling the general public, or even far worse than what various agencies have even planning for, should the next Cascadia earthquake event happen to bust loose in all its destructive glory.

Looking at this matter further, a page linked here is titled Pacific Northwest Earthquakes Could Strike Closer to Home. The page declares: "Major earthquakes occurring along the Cascadia subduction zone off the coast of Washington state could strike closer to the state's urban areas than some models have suggested, a new study notes." The page states that "slippage along the interface between the North American and Juan de Fuca tectonic plates could occur as deep as 25 kilometers below the Earth's surface." This "would place the epicenters of quakes triggered along that portion of the subduction zone --- some of which could exceed magnitude 9 --- more than 60 kilometers inland."

Well, there may be a very good reason why epicenters for the next Cascadia earthquake event could be located "as deep as 25 kilometers below the Earth's surface," plus "more than 60 kilometers inland." That may be the general location of the now buried, ancient oceanic ridge and rift system which the North American continent slammed into and generally overrode, during its powerful westward voyage across the Pacific Ocean to the location where it is now found on the face of this earth.

AN IDEA OF WHAT TO EXPECT

Looking at things further, when it comes to a massive Cascadia earthquake event, a page linked here is titled Study: Megaquake looms over Seattle. The page states: "If the new findings are accurate, the fault will rupture within 68 miles of downtown Seattle, pouring seismic energy into a densely populated urban area, threatening to knock down buildings both large and small, and endangering the lives of millions." The page also states: "Ground shaking could be up to five times stronger than anyone has planned for. Everything from small buildings to skyscrapers would be at risk of collapse."

We are not done with this story yet. There is more than just buildings, plus even bridges (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7), which could rapidly be knocked down in the next massive Cascadia earthquake, especially if the epicenters for the quakes end up being far inland, possibly within the Interstate-5 corridor, rather than far offshore in the Pacific Ocean at the so-called Cascadia Subduction Zone. There are all those dams to think about, which could fail and send a destructive and deadly wall of water downstream, killing people and destroying buildings and other structures.

At this point, it appears that government agencies are still working off the questionable premise that the next devastating Cascadia earthquake will be located far out in the Pacific Ocean, rather than within the continental landmass. Even using their Cascadia Subduction Zone model, government agencies have voiced their concern about at least one dam which could fail, that being the Detroit Dam on the North Santiam River (1)(2), east of Salem, Oregon. Then, a page linked here notes that many of Oregon's dams are in dangerous condition. Well, this could create quite a mess, if Cascadia breaks loose in all its seismic glory.

Looking at the situation with dams in the Pacific Northwest even further, starting with a page-section linked here which is titled Dam Failures and Flash Floods, and downward on that page from that point, it speaks about the situation with dams in both Oregon and Washington. Yes, there are some serious risks which need to be considered. And again, all the linked articles used in the page-section are running off the questionable premise that the epicenters for the next Cascadia earthquake event will be located far offshore in the Pacific Ocean, at the so-called Cascadia Subduction Zone, rather than far inland and relatively close to the Interstate-5 corridor.

LOOKING AT THOSE PLATE SECTIONS

Now, there is one more thing to talk about, as we look directly at the Cascadia region. An illustration linked here shows a section of the coastal region of the North American continent. Then, to the west, can be seen a line which represents the Cascadia Subduction Zone. Then, to the west of that can be seen pieces of the Explorer plate, the Juan de Fuca plate, and the Gorda plate, which are located between the North American continent and the Pacific Plate. What are the Explorer plate and the Juan de Fuca plate and the Gorda plate all about?

Well, the writer has reason to suspect that when the westward moving North American continent slammed into the geologic features residing on top of the oceanic ridge and rift system in earlier times, plus "snagged" the western "lip" of the rift system as it generally overrode it in the powerful and violent event, sheets of oceanic crust were broken loose in slabs from the ocean floor --- kind of like Nature's way of doing large-scale, world-class fracking. Those broken loose slabs are what the scientists are now calling the Explorer plate, and the Juan de Fuca plate, and the Gorda plate, which they say are now being sucked back into the earth by subduction. So, let us once again get very logical --- even more logical than your common scientist.

From information and illustrations linked earlier in this post in the section titled "Zeroing In On Cascadia", we find that the Pacific Plate is generally moving in a northwest direction. In the earlier section in this post, which section is titled "Other Revealing Features", it is clearly documented that the area of the landmass lying further to the west from the Cascade Mountains is moving northward. So, again, it is time to get extremely logical --- much more logical than the common scientist. If the Pacific Plate on the west side of the Explorer, Juan de Fuca, and Gorda plates is moving to the northwest, and then the western part of the states of Oregon and Washington is moving toward the north, then how are the Explorer, Juan de Fuca, and Gorda plates moving toward or subducting in an easterly direction? How is this possible when these three plate segments are pinched between the Pacific Plate and that part of the continental landmass which is moving to the north?

MOTIVATING FORCE FOR THE WESTWARD VOYAGE

Earlier in this post, it is indicated that the North American continent was moving rather quickly in its westward voyage across the face of the Earth. The sharp bends in the seamount and island chains on the Pacific Plate indicate that the collision which the North American continent had with the features on the eastern edge of the Pacific Plate was very powerful and very violent, plus was a rather fast-moving event. Now, we possibly need to consider what would have caused the North American continent to be moving at a relatively high rate of speed.

The Saturday, 9-30-2017 entry in this blog (link) is titled The Grand Collision -- Part 1 -- Initiation of Movement. Well, that post stated that the writer was going to produce a multi-post series. Unfortunately, the writer did not get the companion posts in the planned series written earlier, so this present post contains a lot of the information which would have been included in the series. Now, the earlier linked post speaks about the movement of the plates on this Earth. In our present post, it speaks of the North American continent moving rather quickly to the west, before its major collision with features associated with the ancient oceanic ridge and rift system. Now, if the North American continent was really moving rapidly to the west, what triggered this rapid movement?

Looking again into the 9-30-2017 entry linked above, it speaks about the findings of some researchers, whose findings are found in a page linked here. That entry speaks of something which destabilized the crust of the earth and then caused the movement of the plates on this Earth. They put the blame for the plate movements on a massive asteroid hitting the Earth. Now, other pages which speak about the asteroid impact concept for setting the plates in motion are accessed by the following links: (1)(2)(3)(4)(5). Check the pages out and see what they have to say.

Now, the initial page linked in the paragraph above speaks of a massive asteroid hitting the Earth and causing the land to move around on the face of this Earth. Some think that just one large asteroid could possibly set things in motion. But, there really is more to consider. What if a number of large asteroids slammed into the Earth in various places in the same event, along with a number of smaller asteroids slamming in? Could this potentially set the landmasses on this Earth in motion even easier, plus possibly move them around at possibly a quicker rate of speed? Now, let's look at something altogether different, when it comes to asteroids heading for this Earth.

At this point, there is something which really needs to be looked at. Those who seem to be in control of our world like to talk about the possibility of a big asteroid smacking into the Earth, which could then change things drastically and possibly move some things around. At pages accessed by the following links --- (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15) --- it should be noted that the "computer gods" and "whiz kids," plus possibly even a few deceiving fools who it appears met in Rome, think that they are going to deflect or stop an Earth-collision by one or a couple of these rather large, fast-moving, highly destructive asteroids. Note in the first linked page that "Most deflection efforts for a large object require from a year to decades of warning, allowing time to prepare and carry out a collision avoidance project." This, in itself, is rather funny, if it wasn't such a serious matter, for there is reason to believe that the "whiz kids" and their masters will not be given a year to decades of warning, before the devastating asteroid event begins.

In relation to the things being spoken about above, and when considering the foolishness of all these expensive preparations for fighting against a threatening asteroid or two or three, there is an issue which needs to be brought up. The writer believes that people should note at least some of the asteroids which have already passed rather close to the Earth, that the "computer gods" and "whiz kids" missed seeing (1)(2)(3)(4), until, for the most part, these asteroids were on their outbound trip away from the vicinity of the Earth. Now, in all of this, there is possibly something else which may be worth considering. It appears that their plans are to protect the Earth from an asteroid or two, but suppose things are just a bit more involved than just one or two asteroids.

At this point, it would be good to look at some old pictures which feature an event which occurred in 1833. The pictures can be viewed using the following links: (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7). Yes, that was quite an impressive event in 1833, but they were dealing with relatively small cosmic particles in that event. Now, it appears that the potential may exist for something like that 1833 event to happen, but with a number of much larger celestial bodies being involved in the event, rather than just small particles. It is now time to begin considering the possibility for a cosmic or celestial event, which event may move things around on the face of this Earth.

THOSE OLD WRITINGS & ASTEROIDS

Now, when it comes to moving things around on the face of this Earth by a celestial barrage, there is an old writing which contains some words which could possibly fit the situation. This old writing declares: "And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us..."(1)

There are now some things to think about, in what is quoted above. It speaks of the stars falling from heaven to the earth, as a fig tree shaken by a mighty wind is showering its numerous figs down to the ground. In other words, it will not be just one star falling and crashing into the Earth. It will be hundreds or thousands of stars falling in a mighty barrage on this Earth. Now, to get an idea of what a fig tree loaded with figs looks like, check out the pictures accessed via the following links: (1)(2)(3)(4)(5). Now, imagine all those figs, as seen in the pictures, as being huge stars that are now crashing violently down across the face of the Earth and moving every mountain and island out of their places.

By the way, in the quote from the Holy Bible a couple of paragraphs above, we see that is speaks about the sun, the moon and the stars. There is now something to clearly understand. If a light in the sky was not the sun or the moon, in the Holy Bible, it was generally classed as a star. Later, the things which we now called planets were, by the early astronomers, then called wandering stars (1)(2)(3)(4)(5), because of their movement in relation to the other stars seen in the night sky. Then there are all those numerous asteroids, which also appear as stars in the night sky (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8).

As most people seem to understand, asteroids are basically chunks of rock, with some of them said to be up to 640 miles across. From what is declared in the quote a few paragraphs above, there is reason to suspect that, in the days ahead, there will be a multitude of these asteroids which will come crashing violently to the Earth in a mighty barrage. This barrage will be so powerful that it will then move every mountain and island out of their places, plus possibly will also do the same to at least a few buildings and people and other things scattered across the face of this Earth.

At this point, there is something else to consider. When the multitude of asteroids come crashing to the Earth in the time ahead, as they pass through the atmosphere as they are on their way to moving every mountain and island out of their places, these asteroids will flame-up and turn into a mighty barrage of rocky fireballs. The writer wonders if the following words from an old writing may have something to do with this coming event: "And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power..."(1)

The writer wonders if something else spoken about in an old writing may also have something to do with the nature of things which are coming in the days ahead, especially when it comes to a bombardment of this Earth by a barrage of devastating asteroids. In relation to these things, it is written: "Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth. And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake. The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again."(1)

In the quote above, when it states that "the earth is clean dissolved," could that have something to do with molten magma welling up from within the Earth and then rapidly spreading out widely over the surface of the Earth, burning and burying virtually everything in its path. Could this magma welling up from deep in the Earth and rapidly spreading out widely over the face of the Earth possibly be a result of the face of the Earth being severely "punctured" in numerous places during the asteroid bombardment, as a number of asteroids split open or spread apart the plates of the Earth along rifts or fault lines, while some asteroids penetrate deep into the molten regions below in the Earth, opening multiple channels for the magma to gush forth upon the face of this Earth?

There is now something further to consider in this scenario. When the asteroids fracture or shatter the surface of the Earth, once again, it will allow the magma to well up from deep below. Then, will this magma, via its incredible hydraulic pressure, force the individual segments of the fractured or shattered Earth potentially quite a ways apart? Is there a chance that all of this could happen relatively quickly, as any survivors watch in utter amazement?

SPREADING LAVA & NEW THINGS

With the magma then gushing from deep in this Earth, to become lava which then rapidly spreads out on the face of this Earth, would it be something like what may have happened in earlier times with all that lava gushing out upon the Earth during creation of the Columbia River Flood Basalts in the states of Washington and Oregon (1)(2)(3), the flood basalts of the Deccan Traps in India (1)(2)(3)(4)(5), the Emeishan Traps in China (1)(2), the Siberian Traps in Russia (1) and the Parana and Etendeka traps in South America and Africa (1)(2)(3)(4), and with the Central Atlantic magmatic province (1)(2)(3)(4), plus with those many other smaller flows upon the surface of this Earth? Could the molten flood basalts, as they are once again flowing over the surface of the Earth as the result of an asteroid bombardment, have anything to do with the "lake of fire" which is spoken about in the Holy Bible?

At this point, there are some things to consider about the Central Atlantic magmatic province (CAMP). A page linked here states that it "is the Earth's largest continental large igneous province." The page states further that the CAMP "is composed mainly of basalt that formed before Pangaea broke up." So, to put things in a more logical order, was the so-called Pangaea broken up or shattered by a bombardment of large and small asteroids, with some of these asteroids penetrating deep into the Earth? Because of the shattered or faulted or rifted original landmass, plus because of asteroid penetration deep into the Earth, again, did it then allow the basalt magma to well up from deep in the Earth? Then, by intense hydraulic pressure created by the upward moving basalt magma, were the broken pieces of the so-called Pangaea then rather rapidly moved to other places on the face of this Earth?

When it comes to something like a flaming asteroid bombardment and molten magma gushing forth and things being burned up and buried in the inferno, there is another old writing which may be worth considering. It is written: "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."(1)

In the quote above, it speaks about the "new heavens and a new earth." What is this all about? Well, let's look at some other old writings to see if they could shed any light on this matter. A long time ago, there was a person who declared: "I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations. Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end. The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before thee."(1)

What is this which is being spoken about above? It speaks about the Earth and the heavens, that they shall wax old, like a garment. Then is states that, "as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed." When it comes to the Earth, there is reason to suspect that the outer surface of the Earth would be like its vesture or covering. There is reason to suspect that the outer surfaces of the Earth shall be changed, especially as a result of the mighty asteroid barrage and the spewing forth of the magma from deep in the Earth, which creates a new outer surface on this Earth, with the old virtually all buried or destroyed. Yes, things will be utterly changed and it will be like a new Earth. But, in this new Earth which shall then be, things will be a bit different then they are in this Earth.

Regarding the new heavens and the new earth which are mentioned a few paragraphs above, plus regarding the true people who are called by the name of God and do live accordingly, another old writing declares: "For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh."(1) From the looks of things, it appears that people will not be allowed to get away with going in the wrong way --- in that wrong way which they and their leaders have gone upon this present Earth.

IN DAYS OF OLD

Now, looking back in history a bit, there is another bit of information which might also fit somewhere in this whole picture, as the splitting apart of the original landmass on this Earth and the spreading of flood basalts are also being considered. There is an old writing which declares: "And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided..."(1) And, in another section of these old writings, it states things very similar, using these words: "And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg; because in his days the earth was divided..."(1)

As a note, it appears that Peleg lived during the time of the rather famous Tower of Babel, which is also spoken about in the Holy Bible and in many other sources of information. Around the time of the Tower of Babel, and during the life of Peleg, it appears is when a mighty act of God occurred, which was possibly a mighty barrage of asteroids which came slamming into this Earth, which broke apart the original landmass and then, at some point, moved the pieces about on the face of the Earth, possibly also using magmatic hydraulic pressure.

Now, there is something else to think about. If the writer had been alive to witness the scenario spoken about above, possibly his brain would have been totally "fragmented" and "scrambled" from the stress and trauma associated with witnessing what was happening to the Earth (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8). Possibly that type of thing has something to do with the confounding of the languages at the Tower of Babel (1)(2)(3)(4). And then, it appears that the people of Babel were separated or split up and scattered as individuals or possibly even into small groups, and then it appears that they were sent abroad across the face of this Earth on the pieces of the fragmented original landmass.

Well, the writer will leave it up to the reader to decide if what is stated in the old writings, as noted in the various sections above, could possibly help to "paint a reasonable picture" of what may have actually happened in earlier times and how at least some of the geologic features on this Earth may have been moved around rather rapidly. This post may also help the reader to better understand a major event which it appears is coming on this Earth in the days ahead.

At this point, there are some further words from an old writing to consider. It is written: "For the LORD shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act. Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made strong: for I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts a consumption, even determined upon the whole earth."(1) When it comes to generally what will happen to this earth in the days ahead, via geologic activity or via celestial impactors, there is another thing from the old writings to consider. It is written: "Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. The lion hath roared, who will not fear? The Lord GOD hath spoken, who can but prophesy?"(1)

ANOTHER LOOK AT THE CASCADIA "TRAIN WRECK"

There are some things to look at, which may help to further verify what actually happened with the westward moving North American continent during that grand collision which it appears it had with features in a section of the oceanic ridge and rift system, which section of the system was originally in the ancient Pacific Ocean. The alignment of the Rocky Mountains, as seen in images accessed via the following links --- (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7) --- can actually tell quite a story. The final direction of movement for the North American continent, during its massive collision with those features associated with the oceanic ridge and rift system, can generally be discerned by the alignment of the Rocky Mountains and other mountain ranges to the west of the Rockies.

In the massive collision with features associated with the oceanic ridge and rift system, the direction which the continent would have been moving would generally have been perpendicular to the alignment of the Rocky Mountain range. Now, when it comes to the scientific community (which does not seem to believe is any fast-acting, catastrophic movements on this Earth), a page linked here states: "The Rocky Mountains have always been a problem because they look like a collisional mountain range. They look like the Himalayas but we can't find the India." Well, the "India" in this case would be the features associated with the oceanic ridge and rift system, plus the western part of the ridge and rift system, which includes the edge of the Pacific Plate, which the North American continent violently slammed into and "snagged" in earlier times.

Once again, those sharp bends in the seamount chains on the Pacific Plate show that the collision of the westward moving North American continent with the edge of the Pacific Plate was a very powerful and violent, fast-moving collision, in which the westward moving North American continent came to a rather sudden stop. Looking again at the page linked in the paragraph above, one of the "pros" stated: "It's just a weird situation in the Rocky Mountains that despite the fact that they have extraordinarily good geology and geophysics that we don't get the basic geology of how they formed." Well, the "pros" are truly not gods and it appears that there are a number of things which they seem to have not realized. And, in an attempt to save face, it appears that they often make up some fantastic stories of how things might have happened. So, a person really should give them at least some credit for trying.

Now, looking again at the alignment of the Rocky Mountains and considering the direction which is perpendicular to their alignment, it does appear that the final movement of the North American continent, at the time of the collision, would have been in a west-southwest direction. It appears that once the North American continent collided with the features associated with the oceanic ridge and rift system, the western coastal part of the continent came to a rather sudden stop. But, it does appear that the central and eastern portion of the continent was not really willing to stop so suddenly. So, it appears that the central and eastern part of the continent did its best to continue on that west-southwest path. As a result, there was some serious buckling and fracturing in the landmass where the Rocky Mountains are now located and the mountain range was then raised up.

Looking at things further, to the west of the Rocky Mountains are a number of other mountain ranges. It appears that, for the most part, virtually all of these may have been created as a result of the west-southwest movement of the continent and the massive collision which the North American continent had with the features associated with the oceanic ridge and rift system and with the edge of the Pacific Plate.

***** TO BE CONTINUED *****

Other pages which may be of interest to some:

Current Expectations for a Cascadia Mega-Quake
https://cascadian.neocities.org/cascadiaquake.htm

Cascadian Alert

Tuesday, March 23, 2021

Cascadia, the Big Rift, plus a Massive Earthquake