The Aporia
The Aporia
Joudeh, N. (2026, September 21). 100ft megathrust tsunami threat hiding off the West Coast — shown in staggering simulation. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/09/21/us-news/west-coast-faces-tsunami-threat-from-massive-megathrust-earthquake/
Joudeh, Nina. “100ft megathrust tsunami threat hiding off the West Coast — shown in staggering simulation.” New York Post, 21 Sept. 2026, https://nypost.com/2026/09/21/us-news/west-coast-faces-tsunami-threat-from-massive-megathrust-earthquake/.
Joudeh, Nina. “100ft megathrust tsunami threat hiding off the West Coast — shown in staggering simulation.” New York Post, September 21, 2026. https://nypost.com/2026/09/21/us-news/west-coast-faces-tsunami-threat-from-massive-megathrust-earthquake/.
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A new simulation from cutawaynature's Instagram account demonstrates how a massive megathrust earthquake could trigger a devastating tsunami along the West Coast. The animation illustrates the buildup of pressure between two tectonic plates, with one slowly sliding beneath the other over decades without any surface indication. Once this tension releases, the overriding plate snaps upward, causing the seabed to lift and displacing an enormous amount of water above it.
Initially, the tsunami appears as a wide but barely noticeable swell in deep waters. However, as it reaches shallow coastal areas, the sea withdraws from the shore before surging back forcefully towards land. The video's caption describes this process as a "wordless geological cutaway" showing how such an event forms over time. This visualization highlights the potential danger posed by these hidden underwater fault lines to coastal communities.
