Oregon Geology  Tsunami Inundation and Evacuation Maps for Oregon

Fact Sheet
In summer 2013 DOGAMI completed mapping for modeled tsunami inundation along the entire Oregon coast. This 4-year,
NOAA-funded project brought together the latest science, new mapping techniques, and lessons learned from earthquakes and
tsunamis around the globe.

Why should we get ready for How do tsunami inundation and evacuation maps work?
tsunamis in Oregon? These maps show safe areas so you can For distant-source earthquakes,
Oregon sits on the Pacific Rim “ring of locate your home, school, or business, DOGAMI scientists modeled two
fire,” a zone of very active plate tectonics. find your safe area, and practice your inundation scenarios: one simulates the
If plates move suddenly (“slip”) in an area route to the safe area. 1964 Alaska magnitude 9.2 earthquake
where they usually stick, an earthquake To create the inundation maps, and tsunami; the other simulates a
happens. When a plate descends, or “sub- DOGAMI scientists modeled tsunami hypothetical maximum considered
ducts,” under an adjacent plate, a subduc- scenarios for local-source (Cascadia Alaska tsunami from a magnitude ~9.2
tion zone exists. Subduction Zone, or CSZ) and for event with more seafloor uplift and
distant-source (Gulf of Alaska subduction positioned to focus tsunamis at the
zone) tsunamis. CSZ scenarios can show Oregon coast.
a wide range of inundation in the same To make the evacuation maps,
area. To make it easier to understand the Cascadia XXL scenario and the
CSZ inundation scenarios for different hypothetical maximum Alaska scenario
earthquake sizes, the sizes are labeled like inundation zones are put on one map.
T-shirts: small (magnitude ~8.7), medium Green on the evacuation map shows
Tsunami diagram: http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/c1187/ (magnitude ~8.9), large (magnitude ~9.0), typically higher elevation areas that
When earthquakes occur in a subduction extra-large (magnitude ~9.1), and extra- lie outside the tsunami hazard zones.
zone, they can generate large tsunamis. extra-large (magnitude ~9.1). XL and The evacuation map also shows safe
Tsunamis can come from local or distant XXL scenarios simulate tsunamis similar evacuation routes and assembly areas, as
sources. to the 2011 Tōhoku, Japan, tsunami. developed by local emergency authorities.
A local tsunami, caused by a big Cas-
cadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) earthquake The maximum tsunami scenarios from each inundation map are combined... ... to create the tsunami evacuation map
just off our coast, can come on shore maximum distant source (orange) + maximum local source (yellow) distant source local source
within 15–20 minutes, before there’s time Distant-source (Alaska-Aleutian Island
Subduction Zone) tsunami inundation map
Local-source (Cascadia Subduction Zone)
tsunami inundation map
Tsunami evacuation map

for an official warning. Ground shaking Alaska 1964 (M 9.2) XXL extra extra large Distant Tsunami Inundation Zone

Local Tsunami Inundation Zone

XL extra large

from the earthquake may be the only clue

Alaska Maximum

L large

M medium

that you should evacuate quickly on foot S small DISTANT TSUNAMI

INUNDATION ZONE

to a safe area.
Recent work by the U.S. Geological
Survey (Professional Paper 1661–F) sug-
LOCAL TSUNAMI
INUNDATION ZONE

gests that the probability of a giant full-

rupture earthquake (magnitude 8.8–9.2)
of the CSZ is 7–12% in 50 years. For a
smaller, southern margin CSZ event (in
southern Oregon and northern Califor-
nia), the probability is 37–42%.
A distant tsunami, caused by an un-
dersea earthquake along the Pacific Rim
far away from Oregon’s coast, will take
four hours or more to come ashore. You A ÁREA

Know where to go.

ASSEMBLY
AREA REUNIÓN

won’t feel an earthquake, and there will OUTSIDE HAZARD AREA: Evacuate to this
area for all tsunami warnings or if you feel an

be time for an official warning and evacu-

earthquake.

ation to a safe area. Your loved ones are LOCAL CASCADIA EARTHQUAKE AND
TSUNAMI: Evacuation zone for a local tsu-
nami from an earthquake at the Oregon coast.

For either kind of tsunami, it’s impor- counting on you.

DISTANT TSUNAMI: Evacuation zone for a
distant tsunami from an earthquake far away
from the Oregon coast.

tant to know where your safe area is and

and how to get to it before the first waves N
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Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries 800 NE Oregon St., #28, Suite 965 Portland, OR 97232 971-673-1555 OregonGeology.org
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 Oregon Geology  Tsunami Inundation and Evacuation Maps for Oregon
Fact Sheet

WHERE CAN I GET THE MAPS? MORE RESOURCES

You can get the maps in several ways:
CLATSOP
Earthquake & tsunami preparedness
COUNTY
Tsunami inundation maps (TIM series)
 
  OregonTsunami.org
DOGAMI publishes detailed tsunami http://www.OregonTsunami.org
inundation maps (known as TIMs),
showing multiple scenarios for local and
TILLAMOOK
COUNTY
Nature of the Northwest Information Center (for TIM
series maps)
distant tsunamis. These technical maps
(http://www.naturenw.org) is operated by the
are intended for planners, scientists, Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral
emergency managers, elected officials, and Industries and carries earthquake and tsunami
others to help mitigate risk and reduce the hazard maps. 800 NE Oregon St., #28, Ste. 965,
loss of life and property to tsunamis. TIMs Portland, OR 97232, phone 971-673-2331.
cover the entire Oregon coast and are Living on Shaky Ground: How to Survive Earthquakes
available for purchase via OregonTsunami.org. and Tsunamis in Oregon
http://www.oregongeology.org/tsuclearinghouse/
Tsunami evacuation maps (based on TIM maps)
 
  resources/pdfs/shakygroundmagazine_Oregon.pdf
Evacuation maps, covering the most populated areas of the LINCOLN
COUNTY Are You Ready? An In-Depth Guide to Citizen
Oregon coast, show maximum Preparedness
considered scenarios for local
http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/
and distant tsunamis. The maps
are included in brochures that
Earthquake & tsunami organizations
also contain preparedness tips
Oregon Emergency Management 
and information on what to do in
LANE (http://www.oregon.gov/OMD/OEM/)
a tsunami. Brochures are available COUNTY

from coastal area emergency American Red Cross

management authorities or free http://www.redcross.org/
from OregonTsunami.org.
DOUGLAS Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
COUNTY
http://www.fema.gov/
Interactive web map and smartphone apps
The website OregonTsunami.org NOAA West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center
features an interactive map viewer http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/
where you can type in a city or National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program
address and customize your view. (NTHMP)
The interactive map contains all http://nthmp.tsunami.gov/
the data as shown in the evacuation COOS
maps. While evacuation maps COUNTY Oregon Seismic Safety Policy Advisory Commission
(OSSPAC)
cover only the most populated
http://www.oregon.gov/OMD/OEM/osspac/osspac.
areas, the interactive maps show
shtml
the entire Oregon coast.
Oregon Partnership for Disaster Resilience
Smartphone users can download TsunamiEvac-NW, http://opdr.uoregon.edu/
a free mobile app for iPhone and Android with the same
mapping format.
CURRY
COUNTY
Cascadia Region Earthquake Workgroup (CREW)
http://www.crew.org/

Tsunami evacuation brochures are available at

the coast from some fire stations, city halls, and
Tsunami mapping along the Oregon coast. Light green areas represent the full coverage libraries, or free from OregonTsunami.org.
of the Oregon coast in the DOGAMI tsunami inundation map series. Dark green areas
show tsunami evacuation brochure coverage for populated areas along the coast. GEOLOGY A
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Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries 800 NE Oregon St., #28, Suite 965 Portland, OR 97232 971-673-1555 OregonGeology.org
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