India, Aug. 16 -- A significant earthquake in the Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) could cause a potentially devastating mega-tsunami to hit portions of the US Pacific Coast, according to scientists.

This fault line, which runs around 600 miles from Northern California to Vancouver Island, is where the Juan de Fuca Plate slides beneath the North American Plate, accumulating enormous tectonic stress. Within the next 50 years, there is a 15% risk of an earthquake of magnitude 8.0 or higher happening along the CSZ, as per Virginia Tech researchers lead by geoscientist Tina Dura, the UK Independent reported.

Coastal states like Washington, Oregon, and northern California can potentially be devastated, while Alaska and Hawaii could also be in ...