New Model Predicts Tsunami Impact on Puget Sound from Alaskan Earthquake
State experts in Washington have developed a new model illustrating the potential impact of a massive 9.2 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Alaska on Puget Sound. The model indicates that such an event could generate a tsunami reaching various parts of Washington state. Specifically, water levels could rise by two feet in Seattle, four feet in Olympia, and as high as 24 feet along the coast at Westport. This scenario is based, in part, on the deadly 1964 Alaskan earthquake that also sent a tsunami to Washington State. Elyssa Tappero, Tsunami Program Manager with the Washington State Emergency Management Division, emphasized that even distant seismic events can significantly affect all of Washington. Harold Tobin, Director of the Pacific NW Seismic Network, explained that tsunamis are generated when underwater earthquakes suddenly lift the seabed, pushing water upwards and creating waves that disperse across the ocean. 
