00:00This could wipe out part of the U.S. West Coast.
00:02And it's not a matter of if, but when.
00:05Scientists at Virginia Tech have issued a chilling warning.
00:08A megatsunami could hit before the year 2100,
00:11and it could array cities off the map.
00:13The threat?
00:14A sleeping giant called the Cascadia Subduction Zone,
00:17a massive fault line stretching over 620 miles from California to Canada.
00:22It last ruptured in the year 1700,
00:25triggering a 50-foot tsunami across the Pacific.
00:28Now experts say there's up to a 29% chance
00:31it could unleash a magnitude 8.0 or higher quake in the next 75 years.
00:36That would sink parts of the coastline by over 6 feet.
00:39It could drown cities like Seattle and Portland.
00:42Wash away roads, airports, and even hospitals.
00:44And if climate change pushes sea levels higher by then,
00:48even smaller earthquakes could cause floods as deadly as the big ones.
00:52Here's the worst part.
00:53There may be no warning signs.
00:55It could strike in minutes, without time to react.
00:58Scientists say this isn't just a temporary disaster.
01:01It could change the landscape and life forever.
