VOLCANO HAZARDS - The Pacific Northwest has active volcanoes close to urban areas.

TSUNAMI HAZARDS - Local megathrust earthquakes along our coast will produce tsunamis that arrive within minutes. Tsunamis may also arrive from distant sources across the Pacific or in Alaska. These "tele-tsunamis" take hours to travel, and tsunami alerts may be broadcast.

EARTHQUAKE EFFECTS - Earthquake effects include ground shaking, ground failure (compaction and settling, liquefaction, lateral spreading, and landslides). Interactions between bedrock and overlying soil can amplify motion.

At any one spot, shaking intensity reflects earthquake source, distance from the event, geometric focusing or defocusing, local soil conditions and, if indoors, the building response. Every building, bridge, tower, dam, dock, etc. has an particular structural response to shaking. A building may be more resistant to certain frequencies than others.