CORVALLIS, Ore., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- A "clustering" of great earthquakes that could trigger a major tsunami has been identified off the Pacific Northwest coast, scientists say.
According to scientists at Oregon State University, the area known as the Cascadia subduction zone has experienced a cluster of four massive earthquakes during the past 1600 years.
They say if historical trends continue, this cluster could be over and the zone may already have entered a long quiet period of 500 to 1,000 years, which appears to be common following a cluster of earthquake events.
Or, the current cluster of earthquakes may have one or more events left in it -- some clusters within the past 10,000 years have had clusters of up to five events -- and within a cluster, the average time interval between earthquakes is 300 years.
Since the last major Cascadia earthquake occurred in the year 1700, the next event may well be imminent, the report says.
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NEW YORK, Dec. 8 (UPI) --
Diane Sawyer has announced Friday will be her last day as co-anchor of TV's "Good Morning America."
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