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Portland, OR (KPTV) — Researchers have uncovered a network of active geological faults on Mt. Hood they say could generate large earthquakes and pose a danger to nearby communities and the Portland metro area.
Researchers from Portland State University and the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries say the faults extend north and south of the mountain and could trigger a 7.2-magnitude earthquake.
The faults “pose a serious seismic hazard” to Hood River, Odell, Parkdale, White Salmon, Stevenson, Cascade Locks, Government Camp and the Villages at Mount Hood, according to the ongoing research.
The Portland metro area would experience strong ground motions and could suffer liquefaction damage along waterfront areas, the researchers say.
Ashley Streig, assistant professor of geology at PSU, says the quake could be larger than the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake that damaged the San Francisco Bay Area.
She says the faults are closer to Portland than then Loma Prieta epicenter was to San Francisco, which means it could be even more damaging.
She also says it would be different than the earthquake that is expected at some point in time to occur on the Cascadia Subduction Zone.
“This would be a crustal earthquake as opposed to the Cascadia subduction zone earthquake Portland has been bracing for,” Ashley Streig, assistant professor of geology at PSU, said. “Subduction zone quakes are deeper below the surface, they last longer, as long as seven minutes, but they are lower in amplitude. The kind of quake we would get from Mt. Hood would be shorter, 20 seconds to less than a minute, and would be strong enough to knock you off your feet.”
The researchers discovered the faults after analyzing recent high-tech imaging of the area.
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