Magnitude 9: The Largest Earthquakes on Earth Happen in BC 

Nick Zentner is the best lecturer on geological history and structures I've ever heard. I do not live in Washington, but have watched all his YT lectures. He is a treasure.

A friend of mine live through the 1964 Alaskan earthquake. He saw Sitka Spruce, over 100 feet tall, slap the ground as waves of earth caused the trees to hit one side then swing up to the opposite side.

Yes, Terry Moore, Alaska 1964 was 9.2 and shook for over 7 minutes. My husbands mother was pregnant with him when the earthquake struck. She was standing out front of her beauty shop and just before it hit, a man walking by pushed her into a snowdrift. Immediately after that the road dropped 30 feet and the guy disappeared. Not to mention what happened to the rest of the city after that.

I have been wondering for many years about the mass transfer of ice to sea water and how significant this impacts plate tectonics. So glad the question was posed in such a forum. Someone please start the research as I am only curious and not a geologist myself

I would like to se a series of plate tectonics and terranes like Nick Zentner does, but in Canadian PNW

My memory of the history of the concept of mid-ocean spreading as evidenced by magnetic "striping" was that it was discovered as part of the International Geophysical Year in the late 1950's.

I was in Olympia in a dentist office. Everyone was freaked out afterwards and worried about their kids in school. I tried to calm them down and tell them it was not that bad and that their kids were ok. When you are in a 9.2 quake anything below 7 seems mild. I felt like I was surfing the earth during the Alaska earthquake and still remember how powerful the earth was as it moved.

Re oil tanks. I can say that in logging camps all tanks are required to have a berm with "storage" volume of at least twice the full volume of the tanks. "Funny" thing is that the pipes for filling and pumping from the tanks must go OVER the berm, not through it. That stops syphoning the fuel out with tank collapse. I see no reason why, if isolated camps require that, tanks anywhere in BC would not have the same requirements.

Latest announcement was that the earthquakes happen between 290 and 500 years but more closer to 300 so we are back to being due, not over due but close.

There is a strong connection between the landslide in Keremeas, other slides and sinkholes as a after effect of the M4.6 quake and other micro quakes that we had over the last while! Now the insurances agencies will look different at the risk and damages caused by the torrential rains up the Fraser canyon last year that also endured the same pounding. The damage that accumulated over a long time and the build up of micro cracks are a the result. Now BC roadways and bridges need to be inspected for these cracks as well! Micro quakes from fracking are also destroying foundations of buildings and here is a dim future picture of what will happen to BC towns and their real-estate values. The effect of these quakes may not be felt by people, but the foundations do and much further than PETRONAS is admitting! The future of fragile coastal mountains, once the fracking starts for real, can be already seen in California and Texas. There is a strong case that the foundations of highways and buildings are being jack hammered by these quakes and the result is homelessness. The waves of homeless people are refugees from building on poor ground and the surface micro quakes released by fracking sites. The people leave there homes and communities, because they are unsafe, condemned and have no value. Adding the flooding the cost of fixing California is far greater than the benefits of fracking and so is the damage in BC of the coastal highways and the Coquhalla Highway out paces any benefit for a long time. We even have detected cracks here were I live and on other municipal buildings such as schools and hospitals -

The largest earthquake 9.5 on recorded history was in Valdivia, Chile 1960 9.5M

Glad I found this. Feb23,2023

I remember the TV coverage of the big Anchorage shake in the 60’s. The liquification and subsequent evacuation of a layer of sand into the ocean through the eroded side, thus resulting in a large (meter or so) underground gap that caused ground collapse, really impressed me. Was wondering if that was accurately reported.

Scary to see along the ring of fire how active its been lately..Except B.C's coast!...Where is all the energy going, is it stored to burst any time soon??And Vancouver keeps building high HIGH buildings everywhere...

Great presentation....audience should be given a mic to ask questions if this is supposed to be fully useful to those watching at home. Long questions definitely have to relayed by the host.

I distinctly remember when during the Northridge Earthquake, several people gave accounts, in seperate interviews, of the way that big pieces of bedroom furniture were lofted into the air. I remember questioning this and looking further and finding other concurring accounts. Incidentally, during my search I found a number of people who said that ceiling beams broke free and fell on their sturdy wooden "four poster" beds and each person insisted that they are sure that this saved their life as they were asleep in bed at the time, which I believe was at about 5am, if I remember correctly.

I was in Christchurch the day of the quake. Was evacuated the next day with only the clothes i was wearing. Couldn't get into my hotel to retrieve anything due to danger of further collapse. Biggest problem throughout the city was the liquifaction...it is built on an alluvial floodplain.

just to note m son was in the Portland State Library during the 2001 eq and he said the shelves almost fell over. I was in North Plains Ore and in house it felt like everything was going in a circle. In a spot outside on the driveway no felt motion but the trees across the street were whipping back and forth. So the graph is off a bit. Great talk,we don't get a lot of Canadian info here.

I've had a lifelong interest in geology (I'm fascinated by subduction zones most of all), and I have great fear of, and respect for, the Cascadia Subduction Zone. I experienced a 6.9 quake in San Francisco in 1989, and I have no desire to experience anything like the 1700 quake, which was one reason I moved from Washington State (not a major reason--I moved mostly to be near friends. This is a fascinating lecture and has helped me to understand both the Cascadia and plate tectonics much better. So glad you mentioned pioneers like Harry Hess, and Drummond and Vine--they helped establish that plate tectonics is indeed a thing. I got interseted in geology in the mid-60s because of Jules Verne and it has veen wonderful to see how the science has evolved during the nearly 6 decades since then. Thank you so much for uploading this, Simon Fraser University!

I was in the Olympia 2001 earthquake and cars were disappearing like small boats in the ocean, quite the experience

I like how he builds the storytelling for 5 minutes, and then leads into the climax in an almost anticlimactic way:“Oh, by the way...“ 36:21 41:24

Excellent and clear presentation. Much NEW information has developed since 2014, but Mr. Clague does and very concise job explaining the historical development of these concepts.

Christchurch's (NZ) earthquake was just 5 km deep. Depth makes a lot of difference.

I was just a kid when the Alaska earthquake happened, but already interested in geology. I remember there was no reporting of volcanic activity associated with it. But the videos and photos in Life magazine were just astounding!

I gave up trying to count the prolific number of times ahs, uhs & umhs are said! Way to go Simon Fraser University.

I'd mention the Cascade volcanic system as part of the subduction system, perhaps there is a relationship between them, eruptions followed by major quakes or visa versa.

Much Love @ DUTCHSINSE A UTUBER who is the Self Taught Accurate Earthquake Forecaster.

Back when I was a geology student in the 60s, they taught the geosynclinal theory of orogeny. At that time, the plate tectonics theory was known, but not taken too seriously. Times change.

Just drove down the Coast from southern Washington to Northern California and saw evidence several places of the 1700 Cascadia M 9.0 earthquake. Astounding!

How does science work? ] 1. Someome examines data and has a flash of insight as to an explanatipn of data. 2. The new explanation is resisted by those who have embraced the prior orthodoxy. 3. Eventually, a new orthodoxy is embraced as data accumulates that supports the new explanation. The new explanation is refined. I have personnaly experienced this process, as have many others. "Eroll Flynn"

I heard of a study that showed saline consistency changes prior to a subduction zone eq. Any update on that?

The heading of the video is incorrect, in that the strongest earthquake on the North Anerican continent was the Good Friday take quake that hit Akaska in 1964.

The issue that the woman raises at 1:01:41 in the video of the nearby Vancouver Chlorine/Hydrogen plant, and the Rail Transport of those substances through & within the city, is cause for Grave Concern!!! Especially where there is often high humidity, and/or coastal or inland fog, as chlorine combined with O2 & H2O results in deadly and corrosive Hydrochloric Acid. Essentially, there is the serious potential for the entire city population (and all wildlife in the vicinity) to be completely exterminated due to suffocation when chlorine gas is inhaled, which instantly forms hydrochloric acid in your lungs and burns/melts/destroys all lung tissue, and your eyes will be burned out as well. :-/ Look up the 2005 Graniteville, SC Train Crash, and the 2004 San Antonio, TX Train Derailment, which luckily were both in relatively sparsely populated areas. On top of any direct earthquake and/or tsunami damage to the area, Chlorine gas exposure would be a triple-whammy of catastrophe, especially if hospitals and the roads/access to victims are incapacitated. And obviously any damage to the electrical infrastructure at the plant could trigger/spark a MASSIVE and Cataclysmic Explosion of both the Chlorine AND Hydrogen gas! I believe that the professor/speaker intentionally (and wisely for self-perserverance) skirted this issue and did not answer the direct question because he is an authoritative and influential figure at the university and within the region, and large industrial corporations may both massively contribute/fund ongoing research at the university, and also have the power/clout/capability to "permanently silence" those who "stir the pot" or potentially cause the corporation millions of dollars in litigation and financial losses.

I was stationed at McChord AFB in officer personnel. It took 3 days to communicate with Elmendorf AFB and that was through HAM radio operator! 🙄🙄🙄

Of historical references is during the 1946 Buttle Lake Earthquake the only death was in Denman Island, BC. Well, NEAR the Island. There is a large sand spit around Deep Bay on Vancouver Island. This spit collapsed so quickly that it caused a small "tidal wave" which swamped a row boat off Denman Island, drowning the lone occupant.

I just realized, he's using the word "Paradigm" in the way it's actually meant to be used … 😲

Today’s question, Clockwise Rotation? Patterns of slippage can be used to predict quakes?

what all forces are effecting the plates movement, in earth and outside earth?

This was incredible information. I had no idea. Just moved to Vancouver from Alberta. I am most definitely more interested in learning about earthquakes now more than ever. Thank you for sharing such important information.

Have to look at the whole world to see the progression of earth quakes.

That was by interesting information and History! Thanks.

Sad to hear you downplay the New Zealand quake 6.3m as not very strong and FAILED to mention that several months prior they had a 7.1m and the smaller earthquake was an aftershock of the bigger one. The larger quake had done lots of damage structurally that failed in the smaller quake.

39:00 There is a good pattern recognition IQ test question: -1000, -600, +300, +700, +1700, next? The intervals are 400, 900, 400, 1000. Off hand, I'd say the next interval is 400 and the year ~2100.

My family was in Seattle during the 1946 quake, and there were building damage problems. My grandmother was driving her Model A with my father and his brother and were underway during the quake, so they did not realize it happened. When they got to the Ivars for lunch, it was empty, and they noticed damaged buildings in the downtown area while driving to the Ivars Restaurant.

Captain Hess looks like Douglas Fairbanks Jr., not Errol Flynn. 14:50

I think the Japanese in 2011 and Sumatran's in 2004 would beg to differ that only BC gets these big quakes. These were both 9+ magnitude quakes from exactly the same mechanism.

Hello.. Alaska earthquake 1964..9.2

I wonder why he never mentions that Juan De Fuca /Farralon Plate is actually being spun clockwise around under the North American Continental Plate, which is pretty obvious just looking at a map.

I have a great grand aunt who was in San Fransisco for the 1906 earthquake and she said that the ground acceleration was so great that the nick knacks she had on this shelf that went around the entire living room near the ceiling danced all over her house in mid-air. I feel like there was a bit of hyperbole involved in that story but she did live on those really steep streets in San Fransisco.

If the average holds then we have 180 years. I was glad to hear this as I've been holding my breath. I'm guessing that a stick framed house is as safe a place as you could expect however, with a #9 I would think all bets are off on what building will survive.

How does a rupture along a fault stay localized? If one part of the crust slips one meter, how does it move without pushing its neighboring one meter out of the way? Are there voids in the crust into which the one meter section of crust slips into? Is the crust so elastic that one meter of it can slip but its neighboring meters of crust don't move but just get compressed on one side and decompressed on the other?

Current 2021 science is that there have been 41 ruptures on the Cascadia subduction zone over the past 10,000 years, suggesting that we are "overdue" for one.

Time stamp: (54:50) My parents bought a set of "World Book Encyclopedias" the year I was born (1963. The entry on Earthquakes talked about (and had photos of) "Liquefaction" during some earthquakes, depending on soil type . As someone giving a talk on earthquakes, I would think you had heard of this. You just invalidated the entire lecture.

Thanks for your explanation. My understanding of the scale is rather primitive, as much as the measurements they made in the 50s and 60s. What I don't understand yet is how the hipocenter, duration and area where the quake is felt, account to the Richter magnitude. Is there any provision to take those factors into consideration on the current events. I know they can measure the energy released but no more than that. Keep an eye on the central part of Chile near the coast, cause in that seismic area haven't occurred no quake for almost 2 centuries, plus it has been trembling recently. (Coquimbo / Coordinates, 29.9590° S, 71.3389° W) . To quote the song, "we are living on the edge".

This turned out real.

I always knew the sea killed the trees, but now I understand the ghost forest nearby.

Interesting stuff

There has been many 9.0 or higher earthquakes worldwide, the points of the lecture was that these 9.0 plus earthquakes occur along the subduction zone along this coast not that the largest one happened there.

an interest presentation/ lecture, I'm not suggesting the particular area your discussing doesn't have very large earth quakes, as they happen on all the plate boundaries, i how ever do suggest, that more research should be done to add to your studies, , for example , your area is part of the pacific ring of fire, and areas around there have very large super eruptions as well. you mention a recent event in christchurch new zealand stating it was smaller, there are may variables and differences in determining eruptions in different places, it may pay to have a section in the lecture depicting this , i liked the lecture and love the study of tectonic plate movement :)

Could an earthquake be responsible for glacial lake flooding by means of liquifaction of saturated sandy gravel soils under the ice dam moving to allow trapped water to move under the ice flows?

"The largest earthquakes on earth" *Chile has joined the chat*

so if the planet is lighter, would also delay the rotation as measured in July this year? the planet rotates slower..

Fascinating to hear a presentation about the history and development of the science of plate tectonics, earthquakes, vulcanism and the lecturer/presenter FAILING to even mention Alfred Wegener. I mean, HOW? WHY? As far as i know Alfred Wegener was the first to come up with the idea of plate tectonics and continental drift back in 1912 already. Maybe because he was a German?

have you been studying dutchsinse?

Thank you very much Excellent

WHAT!! No mention of the M9.1 Earthquake which triggered The Boxing Day Tsunami which killed around 270,000 people in many countries, mostly though in Aceh Sumatera Utara Indonesia.

Would someone smart tell me what I missed in his reference to " if you look down you will see every car waiting for the next earthquake".... not getting it... And no, you don't have to dumb down your answer.

I replied to another person and am re posting so all can see. "I agree to a point. The way he stated it was done very poorly. One could argue that when he said the shift is over 5 to 10 thousand years that it happens every 5 to 10 thousand years. Does this mean it takes 5 to 10 thousand years? Or does it mean it happens every 5 to 10 thousand years? I know it sounds like I am nit picking. When it comes to science precision matters."

Isnt it part of the falleron platethat goes down to the lower mantle?

Statistics don't lie, but they don't always mean what one thinks.

Please add captions

I would read about these quakes all the time, always over on vancouver island in the middle of anywhere, lots of nines. What, NINE??? Seriously? Yeah...

Not something to worry about !

Japanese earthquake of 2011 was a magnitude 9 (allegedly) but not a single structure was damaged by the quake. The tsunami caused all the damage..

I live in Seward, not to far from the epic center in Prince William sound, first some areas of the surrounding areas of the 1964 Alaska quake rose, many feet, and also some areas dropped, and the quake lasted approx 5 minutes, not 7 min! Long enough! out of the largest 20 quakes in North America, 17 happened here in Alaska. Unfortunately how awesome of a place Alaska is, we are the most active earthquake area on earth! Look it up.😳😳😳

My mom has earthquake insurance on her house because there are a lot of faults here that can cause 7s. There have been 3 earthquakes in that range in my lifetime, but none of them have done anything but get our heart rates up here.

इन निगाहों में मन्ज़िले हैं, सामने कठिन रास्ते हैं बहुत, लेकिन मैं हर मुश्किल से उलझ गया, और मैं सबसे आगे निकल गया।

If Vancouver BC is not by a large earthquake, wouldn't the quake also affect Seattle?

Too bad the Qs in the Q&A aren't audible.

When the cascade volcanos start lighting up you will get the big one

Dutchsinse is an incredibly knowledgeable earth quake forecaster . Pointing out fracking and well jacks are real problems to come .

So our 9.2 earthquake didnt happen in Alaska?

I believe that Ottawa is over due for a big earthquake which is why the Parliament building are being reinforced.

Well, considering that they found an unknown fault because of the Northridge Earthquake and that they are probably finding another fault that was larger than previously hypothesized because of the more recent series of Ridgecrest Earthquakes, I would say that this makes it hard to piece together all the physics of what's happening and it's hard to say whether faults are actually being created or whether theses new faults are ones we just didn't fully understand yet. This is part of the reason why seismology is interesting.

Earthquake happens every 500 years, so shut down the chlorine plant ... Who let that lady into the building?

I see it in 2021/06/09 So +- 7 year's after. Took the u-tube long enough. To show this one.

excellent video. informative and scary too...l live on vancouver island ( moved from ontario)so l sure dont like the looks of that map thank you very much😟

Wasn't it determined that the accretion level, the build up of sands just prior to the quake was 20 times it's normal? Whereas along the Wa. Coastline it has once again been many times it's normal for the last 20 yrs or so . That would be a pretty accurate indicator of pending quake release of the locking pressure of the subduction zone.

One would think that a man holding these academic credentials would be able to speak before an audience without saying UH and UM at least once in every sentence.

Why just America when I as an AU was involved in a 8.2 earthquake in sichuan in 2008. 70 km from the epicentre.. so many people died. Not confirmed. I went to a hospital in Beichuan where tens of thousands of people lost appendages. Two to a metre wide bed ,head to tail. I was in the middle of it 70 km away and saw a husband and wife trying to escape when a cluster of bricks caved his skull in . She tried to drag him down the stairs while pieces of glass were cutting her to pieces. No one helped until she was out of the glass while the crowd was swaying like gumbie dolls. So much for the scientific info. Share some truth for compassion. Robby AU. Was in Sichuan. Was refused to take photos by police.

I've known about the expanding polarity striping on the ocean floor for decades, I have never heard a more convoluted less clear description. i am glad I already knew about it, i'd hate to learn it from this guy!

Have I said this before? Why do I recall grade school education telling me that Ben Franklin understood plate-tecktonics?

How about instead of retrofitting, relocation away from the plate boundary!

Is there an earthquake fence at the Alaskan border ?

Why oh why does everyone always talk about the Japanese earthquake in march 2011??? Has everyone forgotten about the Boxing Day earthquake and the resulting tsunami which took the lives of thousands and thousands of people??? Yes, I acknowledge fully the quake in Japan caused problems with the Nuclear power station, and I don't underestimate this. But I am sure the devastation was far greater and more people killed in December 2004. 🙏🙏🙏

Thanks Ron Burgundy

Alaska has a magnitude 9 Indonesia , Chile South America, japan have all had magnitude 9's

Awesome Mississippi had a earthquake and it shifted the Mississippi River and earthquake hit in South America Chile so this have be show or compared too all of the previous earthquake

You would not believe how much reinforcing steel, tension cables, and other seismic code requirements are in new construction high rise. Theres a reason.

Brian Atwater looks so young in that photo!