logo
Few will remember this earthquake, but something far worse is looming

Few will remember this earthquake, but something far worse is looming

Yahooa day ago
The Kamchatka Peninsula earthquake may not have brought the same devastation as previous shocks, but a far more deadly seismic event is looming for the US West Coast.
A major 600-mile-long fault line known as the Cascadia Subduction Zone runs from northern Vancouver Island in Canada to Cape Mendocino in northern California.
Scientists have predicted there is a 15 per cent chance of a major earthquake there in the next 50 years, which could bring a mega-tsunami hundreds of feet high to US coastlines.
A study from Virginia Tech in April showed an earthquake of force eight or above could cause coastal land to sink 6.5 feet within minutes, devastating cities such as Seattle and Portland and flooding hundreds of miles of roadway, airports, schools, hospitals and power plants.
Researchers determined that the most severe effects would hit densely populated areas in northern California, southern Washington and northern Oregon.
Like the Kamchatka quake, the Cascadia fault line lies in the 'Pacific Ring of Fire' – a 25,000-mile horseshoe of 452 volcanoes which stretches from the southern tip of South America, along the coast of North America, across the Bering Strait, Japan and New Zealand.
The ring produces around 90 per cent of the world's earthquakes.
Bill McGuire, the Professor Emeritus of Geophysical & Climate Hazards at University College London, said: 'Along with many active volcanoes, great earthquakes are a feature of the so-called Ring of Fire, each one releasing strain that has accumulated over centuries, as an over-riding tectonic plate snags on the one below, and eventually lets go.'
Earthquakes only rarely cause mass devastation because they tend to occur away from major populations, he said, adding: 'Although locally destructive, tsunami heights at remote locations such as Hawaii and Japan seem modest, so widespread devastation and loss of life is unlikely.'
The last great earthquake in the Cascadia subduction zone happened on Jan 26 1700, and geological evidence shows it caused dramatic land subsidence and drowned coastal marshes across the Pacific Northwest.
Geologic evidence from the last six to seven thousand years indicates that 11 great earthquakes have happened approximately every 200 to 800 years, meaning 'the big one' may be imminent.
'This is not a distant or abstract threat,' said Tina Dura, the study's lead author and assistant professor in Virginia Tech's Department of Geosciences.
'The probability of a great earthquake is growing, and climate change is compounding the risks. We must factor these compound hazards into long-term planning now.'
Earthquakes are now measured on the Moment Magnitude Scale, which is a modern development of the Richter scale, and records the amount of ground shaking and the amount of seismic energy released. The bigger the number, the worse it is.
The biggest earthquake ever recorded was of magnitude 9.5 and occurred in Chile in 1960, at a fault line where the Pacific plate dives under the South American plate.
It submerged an entire pine forest and farms, converting them to tidal marshes, and flooded coastal towns, killing thousands and forcing residents to abandon their homes.
Earthquakes are unlikely to get much bigger because there are no fault lines on Earth large enough to generate more force. Some doubt that a magnitude ten quake could ever occur, and it would take a force 11 for true global devastation.
The earthquake that struck Kamchatka Peninsula was measured at 8.8 and is the largest to have occurred worldwide since the force 9.1 Tohoku earthquake in Japan in 2011.
It was powerful enough to send waves as fast as commercial jets across the Pacific and there have been at least 50 aftershocks up to a force 6.9 which will fuel the surge.
Lisa McNeill, a professor of tectonics at the University of Southampton, said: 'Some fault movements don't move the seafloor much and so there is no tsunami. In the case of this earthquake, it had a very large rupture and slip, which made the earthquake large, and so a tsunami was generated.
'The waves travel across the ocean - they are small at sea but travelling fast and it is when they reach shallow water that they build in height again.'
The earthquake occurred in a subduction zone where two tectonic plates meet, beneath the Kamchatka Peninsula, a huge piece of land which juts down out from the north eastern tip of Russia.
Here the Pacific plate is moving in a roughly north-westerly direction about three inches a year and being forced beneath the Okhotsk plate.
The area has had large earthquakes in the past, including a very large 9.1 earthquake in 1952, not far from the new earthquake.
This earthquake was so powerful because it occurred at a depth of 12.8 miles, which is considered shallow, allowing it to release enormous amounts of energy into the waters above, and creating tsunami waves.
Force 8 earthquakes release energy equivalent to 55 million tonnes of explosives.
Tsunami waves as high as 10-13 feet were reported in Kamchatka, while four feet waves hit Hawaii, and a much smaller 12 inch surge hit a city in Hokkaido, northern Japan. Waves were expected to hit the California coast around 9am.
Dr Stephen Hicks, the NERC independent research fellow and lecturer in environmental seismology at UCL, said: 'With such large earthquakes, long-period surface waves will continue travelling around the world for several days, with the planet continuing to resonate and ring like a large bell.'
However it is unlikely to be as devastating as the 2011 Japanese disaster, in which 18,000 people were killed when an earthquake triggered powerful tsunami waves of up to 133ft, and instigated a major nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi power station.
Roughly twenty thousand earthquakes occur every year, but only a small percentage of them are classified as high magnitude.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Celebrating 40 Years of the Weirdest, Nerdiest Week in Movie History
Celebrating 40 Years of the Weirdest, Nerdiest Week in Movie History

Gizmodo

time2 hours ago

  • Gizmodo

Celebrating 40 Years of the Weirdest, Nerdiest Week in Movie History

'Don't cannibalize the audience' is an unwritten mantra in Hollywood. If a movie that is coming out has a similar subject matter or serves a similar viewership as one you are releasing, you try and put some distance between them so as not to ruin your chances of success. If two movies come out that are too similar, it's likely to split the audience and hurt both of them. That seems like a no-brainer point of view. And yet, 40 years ago this week, three movies were released in a seven-day span that are so similar, it's almost unfathomable. But it happened. Those movies are Weird Science, starring Anthony Michael Hall; Real Genius, starring Val Kilmer; and My Science Project, starring Fisher Stevens. They were released on August 2, August 7, and August 9, 1985, respectively. Which I was completely unaware of until I was looking for films to cover for milestone anniversaries and the dates jumped out at me. How the heck did not two, but three movies about nerdy people using science to do off-the-wall things all get released in the same week? That question, unfortunately, I don't have the answer to. What I do have is history to look back on and try and dig into it. When you think of nerdy 1980s movies, the first one most of us think of is Revenge of the Nerds. Released in July 1984, the film grossed over $40 million worldwide and was largely considered a hit. We can only assume what happened next, but the fact these three movies all came out just about a year after Nerds sure seems like Hollywood was thinking, 'We need more movies with nerds as heroes.' A year later, these came out. The first one out of the gate was Weird Science on August 2. Weird Science is the story of two outcasts (Hall and Ilan Mitchell-Smith) who hack a computer to make a virtual woman (Kelly LeBrock) with whom they can do whatever they want. This one is notable for a few reasons. It was written and directed by the legendary John Hughes, starred one of Hughes' Brat Pack members in Anthony Michael Hall, introduced the world to the model LeBrock (in one of the most widely objectifying roles of all time), and features supporting roles by the likes of Bill Paxton and Robert Downey Jr. Of the three films, it was by far the biggest hit, grossing almost $40 million worldwide despite mixed reviews (Rotten Tomatoes has it at 60%, which is literally the line between rotten and fresh). But with the biggest stars of the bunch, and Hughes at the helm, that makes sense. A few days later, on August 7, Real Genius was released. It follows a young prodigy (Gabriel Jarret) who creates an incredible laser and is recruited by a college professor (William Atherton) to explore it further. But, we learn, the professor is actually working for the Department of Defense making weapons, so the student and his friends rebel. Most people remember two things about Real Genius. One, it stars a young Val Kilmer in an unforgettable comedic role as an eccentric college student, Chris. Two, that it ends with a house filled with popcorn while the song 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World' by Tears for Fears plays. However, despite generally positive reviews (77% on Rotten Tomatoes), it was mostly a financial disappointment, grossing less than $13 million. It did, however, find life on video and TV, where it became something of a cult classic. That's in large part due to the work of director Martha Coolidge, who previously made Valley Girl. Two days after that, and one week after the release of Weird Science, came My Science Project. This is one most people don't remember, and maybe for good reason. It's the least directly geeky of the three, as it follows a gearhead (John Stockwell) who steals something to pass off as his science project, which turns out to be an alien device that can let him travel through space and time. It's very dumb, was hammered critically (11% on Rotten Tomatoes) and grossed just over $4 million. I had an odd fascination with the film growing up, which I wrote about here if you care to read. But, in this story, it was the third film of three, by far the worst, and took the beating it probably deserved. Oh, it's also very crucial to remember that a little film called Back to the Future had opened in theaters about a month before any of these. It's less about 'nerds' per se but certainly centers on science, is infinitely better, and surely cannibalized some of this audience too. So why am I writing about this? Well, because, as someone who was five years old when these films came out, by the time I was able to watch and digest movies a few years later, these were all TV mainstays. I watched Weird Science, Real Genius, and My Science Project all the time on VHS and TV. And while they all felt like they scratched a similar itch, I never in a million years would've guessed they were all released in the same week as each other. It just felt like too wild of a coincidence to not explore a bit. The most important thing to note here, though, is that releasing movies in 1985 was incredibly different than it is today or even was a decade or two later. In 1985 there were fewer choices, fewer screens, and more time for movies to get discovered. So, there probably weren't many theaters, if any, that had all three of these movies playing at the same time. In fact, most people probably wouldn't have known about all three of them, as clearly more marketing dollars went into some over the others. More than anything, these films are a realization of a copycat nature in Hollywood that still happens today, just at a time when it was less obvious or discussed outside of the movie business. People just wanted to see movies. And people liked it if those movies were smart, funny, and starred people they related to. In 1985, we related to progress, we related to science, and we related to innovation. People who liked those things were starting to become cool again, and these movies, while maybe not directly impacting that, certainly were part of the narrative. Do you have any memories of these films? Let us know below. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

‘A Star Is Born' producer Lynette Howell Taylor elected president of Oscars org
‘A Star Is Born' producer Lynette Howell Taylor elected president of Oscars org

Associated Press

time2 hours ago

  • Associated Press

‘A Star Is Born' producer Lynette Howell Taylor elected president of Oscars org

Veteran producer Lynette Howell Taylor has been elected president of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. Taylor will succeed Janet Yang in the role, presiding over the organization that puts on the Oscars, film academy CEO Bill Kramer said Thursday. An academy member since 2014, Taylor has served the organization in several high-profile positions, including as vice president and chair of the awards committee. She's also a prolific film producer whose works include 'A Star Is Born' (2018), 'Blue Valentine' and 'The Accountant.' She also produced the 92nd Oscars broadcast. Taylor is now the fifth woman to lead the film academy. The outgoing president, Yang, was elected to the position in 2022 and served in the role for the maximum of three years. Kramer said in a statement that Taylor has been a vital part of the board of governors and singled out how she 'revitalized our awards work.' Several officers were also elected by the board, including actor Lou Diamond Phillips as chair of the equity and inclusion committee and producer Jennifer Fox, who will chair the awards committee. 'This is an exceptional group of Academy members who will advance the Academy's mission, support our membership around the world, ensure our long-term financial stability, and celebrate the achievements of the global filmmaking community,' Kramer said. After years of declining ratings, the Oscars have been on an upswing the past few years. March's broadcast, in which 'Anora' won five Oscars, drew some 19.7 million viewers, a slight uptick from the ceremony the year prior, when 'Oppenheimer' dominated. The organization has already announced that Conan O'Brien will return as host in 2026 and has made several big changes for the future, including adding a stunt design award, starting with films released in 2027, and one for casting directors, which goes into effect this year.

Ultragenyx Completes Enrollment of Phase 3 Aspire Study Evaluating GTX-102 for the Treatment of Angelman Syndrome
Ultragenyx Completes Enrollment of Phase 3 Aspire Study Evaluating GTX-102 for the Treatment of Angelman Syndrome

Yahoo

time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Ultragenyx Completes Enrollment of Phase 3 Aspire Study Evaluating GTX-102 for the Treatment of Angelman Syndrome

Company expects to complete Phase 3 Aspire study in the second half of 2026 Aurora study of GTX-102 in additional ages and genotypes on track to initiate in the second half of 2025 NOVATO, Calif., July 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. (NASDAQ: RARE) today announced that the Phase 3 Aspire study evaluating GTX-102 (apazunersen) as a treatment for Angelman Syndrome is fully enrolled, with approximately 129 participants ages four to 17 with a genetically confirmed diagnosis of full maternal UBE3A gene deletion. 'The accelerated enrollment of the Phase 3 Aspire study underscores the urgent need and strong desire for an effective treatment for these patients. Support from the Angelman syndrome community was critical to the achievement of this important milestone for GTX-102 with completion of enrollment in seven months. We are grateful to the study site teams, investigators, and families for their dedication and support,' said Eric Crombez, M.D., chief medical officer at Ultragenyx. 'The continued developmental gains observed in the Phase 1/2 study provide a strong foundation as we advance this program with the potential to address the underlying genetic cause of this disease and enhance the quality of life for children living with Angelman syndrome.' Jean-Baptiste Le Pichon, MD, PhD, FAAP, Interim Division Director, Neurology; Madison Lauren Sargent Endowed Professorship in Neurology/Angelman Syndrome, Children's Mercy and an investigator on the Aspire study, added: 'Today there are thousands of children and adults in the U.S. living with Angelman syndrome, with no cure or hope. To have a treatment in development with the potential to correct the underlying genetic error that forms the basis of Angelman syndrome, restore protein function, and recover function for patients is extremely meaningful. Completing enrollment of this study is a major milestone, and I eagerly look forward to additional data that builds on the promising preliminary results from the previous Phase 1/2 study.' Enrollment in the global Phase 3 Aspire study (NCT06617429) began in December 2024. Participants are randomized 1:1 to receive GTX-102 by intrathecal injection via lumbar puncture or to the sham comparator group for a period of 48 weeks. Participants in the active treatment group will receive three monthly 8 mg loading doses of GTX-102, followed by dosing in a maintenance period that will increase to a maximum dose of 14 mg of GTX-102 quarterly. Participants in the sham comparator group will be eligible to cross over onto treatment after completing their Week 48 assessments. The primary endpoint will be improvement in cognition assessed by Bayley-4 cognitive raw score, and the key secondary endpoint (with a 10% allocation of alpha) will be the Multi-domain Responder Index (MDRI) across the five domains of cognition, receptive communication, behavior, gross motor function, and sleep. Study completion is expected in the second half of 2026 and Ultragenyx plans to move with urgency to provide topline data and progress to regulatory submission. About GTX-102 (apazunersen)GTX-102 (apazunersen) is an investigational antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapy delivered via intrathecal administration and designed to target and inhibit expression of the UBE3A-AS to prevent silencing of the paternally inherited allele of the UBE3A gene and reactivate expression of the deficient protein. GTX-102 has been granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation, Orphan Drug Designation, Rare Pediatric Disease Designation, and Fast Track Designation from the FDA and Orphan Designation and PRIME designation from the EMA. About Angelman SyndromeAngelman syndrome is a rare, neurogenetic disorder caused by loss-of-function of the maternally inherited allele of the UBE3A gene. The maternal-specific inheritance pattern of Angelman syndrome is due to genomic imprinting of UBE3A in neurons of the central nervous system (CNS), a naturally occurring phenomenon in which the maternal UBE3A allele is expressed and the paternal UBE3A is not. Silencing of the paternal UBE3A allele is regulated by the UBE3A-AS, the intended target of GTX-102. In almost all cases of Angelman syndrome, the maternal UBE3A allele is either missing or mutated, resulting in limited to no protein expression. This condition is generally not inherited but instead occurs spontaneously. It is estimated to affect approximately 60,000 people in commercially accessible geographies. Angelman syndrome is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder that causes cognitive impairment, motor impairment, balance issues and debilitating seizures. Some individuals with Angelman syndrome are unable to walk and most do not speak. Anxiety and disturbed sleep can be serious challenges in individuals with Angelman syndrome. Although individuals with Angelman syndrome have a normal lifespan, they require continuous care and are unable to live independently. Angelman syndrome is not a degenerative disorder, but the loss of the UBE3A protein expression in neurons results in abnormal communications between neurons. Angelman syndrome is often misdiagnosed as autism or cerebral palsy. There are no currently approved therapies for Angelman syndrome; however, several symptoms of this disorder can be reversed in adult animal models of Angelman syndrome, suggesting that improvement of symptoms can potentially be achieved at any age. About UltragenyxUltragenyx is a biopharmaceutical company committed to bringing novel therapies to patients for the treatment of serious rare and ultra-rare genetic diseases. The company has built a diverse portfolio of approved medicines and treatment candidates aimed at addressing diseases with high unmet medical need and clear biology, for which there are typically no approved therapies treating the underlying disease. The company is led by a management team experienced in the development and commercialization of rare disease therapeutics. Ultragenyx's strategy is predicated upon time- and cost-efficient drug development, with the goal of delivering safe and effective therapies to patients with the utmost urgency. For more information on Ultragenyx, please visit the company's website at: Forward-Looking Statements and Use of Digital MediaExcept for the historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release, including statements related to Ultragenyx's expectations and projections regarding its future operating results and financial performance, business plans and objectives for GTX-102, expectations regarding the tolerability and safety of GTX-102, anticipated timing of data from ongoing GTX-102 studies, anticipated timing for initiation and completion of GTX-102 studies, and future clinical and regulatory developments for GTX-102 are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause our clinical development programs, collaboration with third parties, future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the uncertainty of clinical drug development and unpredictability and lengthy process for obtaining regulatory approvals, the ability of the company to successfully develop GTX-102, the company's ability to achieve its projected development goals in its expected timeframes, the risk that results from earlier studies may not be predictive of future study results, risks related to adverse side effects, risks related to reliance on third party partners to conduct certain activities on the company's behalf, smaller than anticipated market opportunities for the company's products and product candidates, manufacturing risks, competition from other therapies or products, and other matters that could affect sufficiency of existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments to fund operations, the company's future operating results and financial performance, the timing of clinical trial activities and reporting results from same, and the availability or commercial potential of Ultragenyx's products and drug candidates. Ultragenyx undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. For a further description of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to the business of Ultragenyx in general, see Ultragenyx's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on May 7, 2025, and its subsequent periodic reports filed with the SEC. In addition to its SEC filings, press releases and public conference calls, Ultragenyx uses its investor relations website and social media outlets to publish important information about the company, including information that may be deemed material to investors, and to comply with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Financial and other information about Ultragenyx is routinely posted and is accessible on Ultragenyx's Investor Relations website ( and LinkedIn website ( Ultragenyx Contacts InvestorsJoshua Higair@ MediaJess Rowlands media@

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store