Full-Rip 9.0: The Next Big Earthquake in the Pacific Northwest

I really liked this book. Frankly, I had expected less from it -- simply because there are so many books and other media out there right now on the Pacific Coast quake danger; and a lot of what has been written is either overly weighty with technical detail or over-dramatized to grab the reader with scary scenarios.So like I say, I expected less -- and I was surprised with what I got. Doughton's book is gripping for sure, but that comes organically from her own fascination with the subject. You are pulled along not by fear but by her enthusiasm, her engagement. Yes, the scenarios are scary, but as she also explains in her balanced way, no one really knows quite how to calculate the odds. Even numbers we're given (~7-37% in the next 50 years, depending on what and where you're talking about) are being constantly challenged by new data, new findings about what's underneath us and how far it stretches and when it last shook. One of Doughton's points in the book is that while scientists are doing their best to refine their prediction models, that effort is far behind what they are discovering about the faults themselves and the geophysics of the crust in the Pacific Northwest. And what they are discovering is pretty astonishing, and fascinating to read about.I found Doughton's writing really compelling, and she explained things better than anyone else I've read on this subject. That might be just me and how I connect to her style of writing, but while I normally struggle to get some of the more technical parts of quake geoscience, Doughton's accessible writing style and many creative analogies really worked for me. I wish she'd taught that geology course I took in college! I highly recommend this book.

Sandi Doughton's excellent book is about the seismic threat to the Northern California-Oregon-Washington-British Columbia Pacific coast region. It is a must-read for everyone who lives there. The history of the problem includes the 1920s when a geology professor claimed that Washington was earthquake-proof, the mid-1980s discovery of evidence that a 9.0 earthquake-and-tsunami struck all along the coast in January 1700, and the 1992 confirmation of a 7.0 quake in 900 AD along a significant fault system that runs across Puget Sound and under Seattle.Regarding the chance of another quake-tsunami along the 700-mile Cascadia Subduction Zone coastline, in 2016 Oregon State U. Geology Prof. Chris Goldfinger said, "This is now a certainty. It's the most airtight case in science that I know of. We can prepare or we can just let it happen."Wow! Who knew? As Goldfinger et al learned following an excellent July 2015 article in New Yorker magazine—"almost nobody" knew about the Cascadia Subduction Zone and "we thought everybody did." Knowledge is said to be power. That's not true if the people that need it don't have the information to use in a timely way.For reasons that are not clear, the level of awareness in the Northwest's general public about the history and threat of major earthquakes in the region is alarmingly low. We lived in the south Puget Sound area for 24 recent years and never heard anything about the inevitability of a 7-, 8- or 9-level earthquake nearby. A friend who lived in Oregon and Western Washington his entire 78-year life never heard about the Cascadia Subduction Zone until we asked him about it in January 2020. The possibility of Mt. Rainier going off?—Sure, we heard about that. A brief deep earthquake like the one in 2001 near Olympia?—Sure, we were there. But a common knowledge on the inevitability of another 7-, 8- or 9-level earthquake-and-tsunami in the region? No! That was and still is conspicuous by its absence.Yes, there is an occasional mention of the possibility of a major earthquake on KING 5-TV in Seattle or in Sandi Doughton's occasional Seattle Times articles. But, not everyone in western Washington watches KING 5 all of the time or reads the Seattle newspapers every day. Occasionally, the Tacoma and Olympia papers would have something of a passing mention passed on from the Seattle news outlets, but nothing that demanded attention.The point here is that there was never an in-your-face, you-need-to-be-prepared-for-this public information program. Our first real awareness happened while reading about some tremors around Mt. Rainier in December 2019 and an oblique reference to something called the Cascadia Subduction Zone. What's that? We found out. One article led to another, and soon we ordered Sandi Doughton's outstanding book. It is a bright light shining into the darkness of the general public information void on this subject that is vital to the region.While a Full Rip 9.0 may be inevitable, it should not happen without prudent emergency preparation on the part of everyone, and that begins with an awareness of the threat. Survivors of a quake-and-tsunami along either or both the Cascadia Subduction Zone and the Seattle Fault will be on their own for days—if not weeks—before outside help will be able to reach them. It is always better to prepare for the test than to learn from the test.

By far the best book out there on this topic. Nick Zentner recommended this book in his lecture on Great Earthquakes of the Pacific Northwest and I put off buying it because I had simply gotten worn out by books on earthquakes or geology that literally bore you to death with filler material. Most authors/lecturers put tons of filler material in their works, material that has little to nothing to do with the topic. What a breath of fresh air this book was. I originally bought the Kindle version but went back and ordered it in hardback because I wanted something I would mark up with underlining and have the ability to write notes in the margin.Ms Doughton covers many topics in depth that most barely cover IF at all. I found the chapter on the Seattle Fault especially fascinating. The book never gets boring or drawn out. I just wish it was also available on Audible....hint, hint.

Nick Zentner of CWU's Nick on the Rocks recommended it yesterday. I'm only about 20% into it yet, but I'm loving it! I'm enchanted by how we came to know what we know - I lived in Seattle in the 70s, back when "they were not at risk for quakes" - I came from California's 2nd largest quake region - the Ft. Tejon/Tehachapi, and had had quake nightmares my whole life. For the first time, my nightmares went away - false security! Now I'm back in Bakersfield, but no longer scared - maturity? Or just better understanding? I think the latter, thanks to books like this and people like Nick. The 9.0 may not hit until our great-great-grandchildren's lifetimes - or it may hit tomorrow. No way to tell except to learn more about this fault zone. Same with my neighbor, the San Andreas. Thanks for a wonderful book!

Having family living in the Seattle (Silverdale area), I am always profoundly shocked that they nothing about the possibility of a Mega thrust earthquake/tsunami right on their door step; nor do they realise that they practically live on top of one of the many smaller faults that lie scattered throughout Washington. The author has such an appealing narrative style that she makes understanding what WILL happen even harder to swallow for my relatives - but for the reader, the evidence is clear. I would be packing my bags and leaving Seattle a.s.a.p, just to be on the safe. Fantastic book.

I found out about this book from a proffesor of geology called Nick Zentner who lectures at Central Washington University on one of his YouTube videos.Very informative and also a good read, also a good companion book to Brian Atwater's book Orphan Tsunami.

The author does a great job bringing a complex subject to a non-technical audience. Also concludes with very good preparation and survival tips.

Interesting text - received in good condition, thanks.

excellent book on a tough subject.