Earthquakes and tsunamis may be more dangerous than we thought

bgrpro65 mai 04, 2021

Natural disasters come in all forms, but some are certainly more devastating than others. A small tornado that tears through an unpopulated countryside is less serious than a super-powerful hurricane that slams into large coastal communities, for example. Earthquakes and tsunamis are both natural phenomena that occur due to the stress that builds up between the tectonic plates that make up Earth's crust, but new research suggests that our estimates for how dangerous these events can be are on the low end of realistic.

In a new study published in Nature Geoscience, researchers from The University of New Mexico and Nanyang Technological University provide evidence that so-called megathrust earthquakes beneath Earth's oceans could be even more powerful than we think. It's a complex but important bit of research that could help communities prepare for the worst of what an earthquake and tsunami can deliver. That is if the data is adopted and new safety measures put in place.