Earthquake Presentation at NBPL, Aug. 14

At 2:00 PM on Tuesday, August 14, Michael Murphy will speak at the North Bend Public Library on the topic of the Cascadia Subduction Zone, and the earthquake predicted to occur sometime in the next fifty years. According to the Oregon Office of Emergency Management: The Cascadia Subduction Zone has not produced an earthquake since 1700 and is building up pressure where the Juan de Fuca Plate is subsiding underneath the North American plate. Currently, scientists are predicting that there is about a 40 percent chance that a megathrust earthquake of 9.0+ magnitude in this fault zone will occur in the next 50 years. This event will be felt throughout the Pacific Northwest. https://www.oregon.gov/oem/hazardsprep/Pages/Cascadia-Subduction-Zone.aspx  Murphy, who is the program director for Coos County Emergency Management, will explain the science of earthquakes and the history of quakes along the Cascadia Subduction Zone, as well as how coastal residents can prepare for future events. This presentation is part of a series of programs at North Bend Public Library titled “Be Prepared!” On September 20 at 6:00 PM, former state senator Bill Bradbury will present “Watershed Moments for Salmon,” and on October 23 at 2:00 PM Michael Murphy will return to talk emergency preparedness. Other programs will include a talk on the Coquille watershed in September and participation in the Great American Shake-out in October. For more information, please contact the North Bend Public Library at 541-756-0400.