It was not until the 1980s that scientists began to discover that the Cascadia Subduction Zone is an active threat. When I lived there, no one was mindful of an earthquake threat. Since the 1990s, much has been discovered about the history of the CSZ and ever since more and more information emerges -- seemingly all of it more concerning than was previously known.
For anyone interested in the emerging picture of earthquake risk in the Pacific Northwest, a good read is Sandi Doughton's new book
Full-Rip 9.0: The Next Big Earthquake in the Pacific Northwest . It is well written, and explains how the scientific evidence for a major Cascadia subduction earthquake has gradualy emerged. She also explains the risk associted with other less known features such as the Seattle Fault.
A somewhat more technical but still understandable book about how a past Cascadia earthquake was linked to a major tsunami in Japan is available online at
The Orphan Tsunami of 1700: Japanese Clues to a Parent Earthquake in North America, also published in paperback by
University of Washington Press
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