TSUNAMI WAVE PROPAGATION THROUGHOUT THE PUGET SOUND

Abstract

Tsunamis are commonly caused by submarine earthquakes. An earthquake along the Cascadia Subduction Zone has the potential to create a tsunami that could enter the Straits of Juan de Fuca and propagate throughout the Puget Sound causing damage in its wake. The Puget Sound model is an option to predict the propagation of a tsunami wave throughout the Puget Sound. The Puget Sound model predicts wave heights of 11 meters, 8 meters, 5 meters, and 6 meters at Port Townsend, Seattle, Hood Canal, and Tacoma respectively. Once scaled down, so that the initial wave at Port Townsend is 2 meters tall, the Puget Sound model predicts a similar wave height in Seattle and Tacoma to other mathematical models. There should be time for communities in the Puget Sound to evacuate if a tsunami were to occur. The Puget Sound model predicts that a tsunami would reach Seattle a half hour after it passes Port Townsend. It would take even longer, more than one hour, for the tsunami to reach The Great Bend in the Hood Canal and Tacoma. The Puget Sound model provides a basic understanding for tsunami propagation throughout the Puget Sound.