The shocking study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by the geological team at Virginia Tech University.
The study estimates a 15% chance of an 8.0-magnitude earthquake in the Cascadia fragile fault area over the next 50 years - extending from Vancouver Island (Canada) to Cape Mendocino (California, USA).
If a serious disaster occurs, major cities such as Seattle (W Washington) and Portland (Oregon) will face the risk of serious devastation. Research shows that not only earthquakes, but coastal soil can drop to 2m, creating conditions for a giant cyclone to strike almost immediately.
There is no time to cope or adapt if an earthquake occurs. It all took a few minutes, said Professor Tina Dura, lead author of the study.
Unlike conventional sunsones that are only a few meters high, super sunsones can create giant water walls hundreds of meters high, with the same destructive power as many nuclear bombs.
According to researchers, if this scenario becomes a reality, waves up to 300m high could flood inland, destroying entire infrastructure, homes and sending millions of people into a state of total loss.
Although located further away, Alaska and Hawaii are also in the danger zone due to their active geological characteristics, many cracks and active volcanoes.
Hawaii could be hit by a typhoon, similar to the 1964 event where an earthquake off the coast of Alaska sent a typhoon sweeping through Honolulu, killing several people.
Worryingly, the Cascadia faction has not seen a major earthquake since 1700, meaning geological energy accumulated for more than 300 years is waiting to be released.
If an earthquake occurs, according to Professor Dura, a series of coastal areas will be submerged, and current land use planning will become meaningless, prolonging the recovery and reconstruction process for many years.
Experts recommend that officials in the US Western states should invest more in early warning systems; relocate coastal low-lying areas and strengthen community education on immediate disaster response.
