The Next Big One? 


The earthquake that hit Japan last week was upgraded yesterday from a 8.9 to a 9.0, a difference in amplitude of about 1.4 percent.


When plotting three of the world's most recent  major earthquakes, a patten emerges. In very basic terms, the Pacific Plate is shifting. Three of the four faults on the plate have experienced major temblors in the last year. Chile in the Southeast (Feb. 2010), New Zealand in the Southwest (Feb. 2011), Japan in the Northwest (March 2011). Is North America's Pacific Northwest next? 


It is here that the most dangerous fault in the U.S. lies:  Cascadia. The fault  stretches from the northern part of California, north along the coast of Oregon and Washington, and into Canadian waters. In fact, 300 years ago, a 9.0 earthquake that originated here set off a tsunami that wreaked havoc all the way across the Pacific Ocean, smashing the shores of Japan. 


According to experts, the Pacific Northwest is "long overdue" for a major quake. "With the region experiencing 41 quakes 8.0 magnitude or above over the past 10,000 years, geologists say it's a question of when - not if - the next one hits..."