Stop doom-scrolling and learn about how ghost forests and Native American oral histories tell the story of the last great Cascadia earthquake (323 years ago today!) 
On Jan. 26, 1700, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake created a tsunami that ripped through the Pacific Northwest.
It created ghost forests (areas of standing dead trees) throughout Oregon and Washington - like the Copalis Ghost Forest, found along Washington's western coast.
It created ghost forests (areas of standing dead trees) throughout Oregon and Washington - like the Copalis Ghost Forest, found along Washington's western coast.
The devastating earthquake caused land surface along the coast to drop more than 6 feet.
Suddenly, coastal forests that once stood well above the tide line found their roots submerged in saltwater -- which killed them.
Suddenly, coastal forests that once stood well above the tide line found their roots submerged in saltwater -- which killed them.
No written accounts exist for the region from the time, but virtually all of the Indigenous peoples in the region have at least one traditional story of an event of unmatched destructive power.
Here's one such story from the Hoh Indian Tribe.
Here's one such story from the Hoh Indian Tribe.
https://twitter.com/waEMD/status/1618628341007015936?s=20&t=MbnJJM0EfHNgeEZTFMABqQ
These stories are corroborated by clues in those ghost forests.
Tree-ring dating revealed that the trees along the coasts of Washington and Oregon all died in the winter of 1699-1700.
Tree-ring dating revealed that the trees along the coasts of Washington and Oregon all died in the winter of 1699-1700.
Our final clue comes from across the ocean.
Historical records from Japan told of giant waves hitting 600 miles of Japanese coastlines in January of 1700.
Those records, along with reconstructions of the wave, put the earthquake at ~9 p.m. on Jan. 26, 1700.
Historical records from Japan told of giant waves hitting 600 miles of Japanese coastlines in January of 1700.
Those records, along with reconstructions of the wave, put the earthquake at ~9 p.m. on Jan. 26, 1700.
If you got this far, thanks for reading, and I hope you learned something!
The Copalis Ghost Forest is one of our Washington 100 sites. So maybe bring someone special along to visit and WOW them with your newfound knowledge?
wa100.dnr.wa.gov/willapa-hills/…
The Copalis Ghost Forest is one of our Washington 100 sites. So maybe bring someone special along to visit and WOW them with your newfound knowledge?
wa100.dnr.wa.gov/willapa-hills/…
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