Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Ship Time

The greatest uncertainties in the Earthquake Hazard Model for Canada's west coast are the frequency and size of megathrust earthquakes and associated tsunamis which have the potential to affect millions of Canadians. This research cruise will advance our knowledge of the unknown earthquake history, known as the ""paleo-seismic history"", of the northern part of the Cascadia subduction zone which is responsible for giant earthquakes and tsunamis which occurred in the geologic past. Piston cores and freeze cores of marine sediments all along the BC coast will be raised from the seafloor and analyzed to accurately identify and date ""seismites"" which are ocean floor sediments which have been disturbed by earthquakes. In 2011, with funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Province of BC, the research team acquired new state of the art marine sediment core analytical equipment called a Multi-Sensor Core Logger (MSCL), which is the international standard of analytical equipment used for marine sedimentology research. This equipment enhances our capability to identify ""seismites"" along the BC coast from marine sediment cores. This information is vital not only for scientists, but also for planners, policy-makers, businesses, and the public in order to minimize risks from major seismic events and help plan for a sustainable future. The damages and loss of life following the March 11, 2011, Mw 9.0 Tohoku earthquake and tsunamis in Japan, were partially attributed to the lack of a paleo-sesimic record in the area. The devastating size of the giant earthquake and tsunamis waves experienced in northern Japan on March 11, 2011 were not planned for in that area. The paleo-sesimic record of the area was unknown and the instrument record did not record events of that magnitude in historical times. By understanding earthquake activity during the geologic past along the Cascadia subduction zone, which stretches the length of the BC coast all the way to southern California, we can prepare for sustainable planning and emergency preparedness in our tectonically active province and extend our instrument record of earthquakes and tsunamis back thousands of years.