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  1 0 Yes, there is some risk of tsunami in the Puget Sound. The big subduction zone earthquake off of the Northwest coast, like the fault which moved in Japan, will generate a huge wave on the coast, and send a wave speeding towards Japan, but should not generate much for Seattle. The twists and turns of the sound will tend to dampen the effect. However, according to seismologists, the Seattle Fault, that stretches roughly from the south end of Bainbridge Island to Issaquah following I-90, could produce a tsunami 3-4 meters high within the Sound. Figure about twelve feet above high tide for the risk zone along the water front. Bruce Schoonmaker answered in Earthquake! about 1 year ago | Report 4 comments by Svensken, Fnarf, and Bruce Schoonmaker… 0 0 FTW!!! I remember in my Washington state history that Seattle has had a tsunami every 1000 years. "2 meters (6 feet) high on Elliott Bay" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_Fault Svensken commented about 1 year ago | Report 1 0 I bow to your superior knowledge, but please, please don't ever call it "the Puget Sound". Fnarf commented about 1 year ago | Report 0 0 Thanks for noticing. "The Puget Sound" does sound stilted. Almost no one uses an article before "Puget Sound," yet the grammar calls for it. reference: http://esl.about.com/od/thebasics/a/a_an_the.htm. Should I have used it? Probably not, since no one does in common parlance. Bruce Schoonmaker commented about 1 year ago | Report 0 0 That grammar page is lacking. Yes, "the Pacific Ocean", but never "the Lake Washington" or "the Elliott Bay" or "the Hammersley Inlet" or "the Hood Canal". I don't know why that is, but I know it's true. Fnarf commented about 1 year ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question New comments are not being accepted at this time.

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  1 0 Tsunamis here normally hit the coast and sometimes come through the Strait of Juan de Fuca where they can impact the north part of Whidbey Island, Bellingham, etc. For a tsunami to harm Seattle, the earthquake would have to take place directly beneath Puget Sound. In that case, Puget Sound acts like a bowl of water sloshing back and forth. This has happened. basmatic answered in Earthquake! about 1 year ago | Report 1 comment by Russ Campbell, NWEBS… 0 0 Such a wave is termed a seiche. The water is displaced and sloshes back and forth within the confining land masses. The best way to demonstrate how this wave works is to fill a long flat pan near the rim and try to carry it somewhere. The water soon starts moving back and forth and sloshing up over the edge and spilling out. Russ Campbell, NWEBS commented about 1 year ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question New comments are not being accepted at this time.

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  1 1 Earthquake yes, tsunami no. Tsunamis can't really get through narrow gaps; even a large wave would be dissipated by Admiralty Inlet. Victoria, Port Townsend, even Bellingham could get hammered, but the real action is always going to be on the open ocean coast. I heard a UW guy on the radio the other day saying that it would be almost impossible for Seattle to get more than a few inches of surge. Fnarf answered in Earthquake! about 1 year ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question New comments are not being accepted at this time.

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