SCIENCE LAB SCARES* : GEOLOGICAL THREAT

A potential compound disaster : One ' really big one ' after another : In the world's tectonic nightmares, a giant earthquake on the San Andreas fault in California looms large.

But farther north, another geologic fault - the Cascadia - gives planners even more to worry about. The possibility that Cascadia could shake the Northwest was highlighted in a 2015 New Yorker article that called the hypothetical event '' The Really Big One.''

In a study in the journal Geosphere, scientists suggest that the two faults could have intertwined fate. Their paper suggests that Cascadia earthquakes of the recent geological past have triggered earthquakes along the San Andreas fault too.

'' Cascadia is often talked about as, '' When it goes, it'll be the biggest disaster in North American history, '' said Chris Goldfinger, a professor emeritus at Oregon State University.

'' But what if the San Andreas goes at the same time ?'' he continued. '' It's still going to be the biggest disaster in North American history, but it's quite a bit bigger.''

The Cascadia subduction zone stretches from Vancouver Island in Canada to Northern California. In this region, an oceanic plate dives beneath the continental plate of North America.

'' It's where there's a lot of frictional contact that the trouble for people arises,'' Dr. Goldfinger said.

His team has found evidence the friction could cause problems for people near the San Andreas fault, which begins at Mendocino south of Eureka, Calif., turns inland and terminates near the Salton Sea.

Cascadia and San Andreas come together near Cape Mendocino.

The World Students Society thanks Sarah Scoles.