Observations during the quarantine in Newport, Oregon
During a walk to keep a distance from the society, the team members took a group photo on several “toads” left by the erosion of the waves.Photo: Madeleine Lucas
Prevent the scientific team from bringing COVID-19 to R/V Lances, We were asked to quarantine for 1-2 weeks at Hallmark Resort in Newport, Oregon. With the exception of isolation, everyone was tested for COVID-19 before travel and during isolation to ensure that we were not infected with COVID-19 when we traveled to Newport and checked into the hotel. Fortunately for us, Hallmark Resort is located on the beautiful Newport Beach, and every room has a sea view. In order to maintain physical and mental health during the isolation period, we are allowed to go out for 1.5 hours a day. One day, the group decided to use our outdoor time to meet on the beach and take a walk away from social interaction. During our walk along the beach, we found many interesting outcrops. One of the outcrops has the perfect “toadstool” seat, which is formed by the erosion of the waves coming in and out of the tide-an ideal place to stop and take group photos.
During the quarantine, we spent a long time gazing at the Pacific Ocean, waiting patiently for the time to set sail. We discovered R/V Marcus G. Lances Offshore during the second week of isolation. She participated in the supplementary deployment of the seabed seismograph, which will record the seismic waves in our seismic reflection survey.We followed LancesLocation, and was able to welcome her back to the port from the grassy dunes along the Yaquina River at the Yaquina Bay State Recreation Ground.
R/V Lances, Found at sea.Photo: Madeleine Lucas
We saw the tsunami evacuation sign while walking around Newport every day during the quarantine period to remind us of the purpose of the experiment: to better understand the major earthquakes and Tsunami disaster From the Cascadia subduction zone.
On the tsunami evacuation map in Newport-South, Oregon, you can see that the local Cascadia earthquake evacuation area is displayed in yellow, the tsunami in the distance is displayed in orange, and the area outside the danger zone is displayed in green. The black arrow points to the inland, the green points to the high ground, and the “A” marks the safe assembly area during the tsunami. You can see that the local tsunami can reach more than a mile inland from the coast, extending along river valleys and lowlands. This underscores how important it is to raise public awareness and preparation for these dangerous events and to understand the importance of tsunami waves in densely populated areas on the fringe of Cascadia, such as Newport.
Just south of the Yaquina River, you can see the NOAA Marine Operations Center, Oregon State University Hatfield Marine Science Center, and Oregon Coast Aquarium are all located in the tsunami danger zone, and the only safe assembly area near these large centers is Safe The Haven Hill shown in the map illustration, and the vertical evacuation structure on the roof of the Hatfield Marine Science Center. For people who work and live near these population centers, it is important to be prepared to evacuate in the event of an earthquake and tsunami and know where to go, because the tsunami triggered by the Cascadia giant thrust event may be at 15 To reach the coast within 20 minutes, according to the Oregon Tsunami Information Clearing House.For more information on how to prepare for the Cascadia tsunami, please visit their website Here.
Through the new seismic images collected during our research cruise, we hope to improve our understanding of the Cascadia earthquake and tsunami events so that coastal communities such as Newport can better respond to these dangerous events. ready.
Madeleine Lucas (Madeleine Lucas) is a PhD student in Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington.
