Introduction by Simon Winchester

National Bestseller

With a New Afterword by the Author on the 2011 Tohoku Disaster

Cascadia’s fault is virtually identical to the tectonic time bomb that most recently decimated Japan in 2011. It will generate the same kind of earthquake, at magnitude nine or higher. From the shores of British Columbia all the way to California, buildings will be shaken and crushed by a megathrust earthquake, and a tsunami will speed both inland and across the Pacific, tossing cars, smashing homes, crippling infrastructure, and killing or wounding thousands as it destroys almost everything in its path. Written by a journalist who has been following this story for twenty-five years, Cascadia’s Fault tells the tale of this potentially devastating earthquake and the killer waves it will spawn.

JERRY THOMPSON has worked for more than thirty years as a writer, director and journalist in Winnipeg, Calgary and Vancouver. He has also been a network news correspondent and a documentary film producer for such CBC programs as The National, The Journal and the fifth estate. His articles have appeared in Equinox, Reader’s Digest and Vancouver magazine. Thompson lives in Sechelt, B.C.

Jerry Thompson's profile page

“Seismological CSI, offering up one stunning revelation after another.” — The Globe and Mail

“[An] alarming geological exposé. . . [and a] fascinating scientific detective story. . . . A lucid, engrossing look at the Earth’s subtle dynamics—and a timely warning about their awesome power very close to home.” — Publishers Weekly

“Thompson excels when he explains the science.” — Vancouver Sun

“The most important political book to appear in Canada for many years. . . . Politically seismic. He has the evidence for an inevitable magnitude 9 mega-thrust quake somewhere off our coast. For up to five long minutes, it will shake Victoria, Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, and even Sacramento.” — TheTyee.ca

“A level-headed look at a potentially devastating natural disaster . . . fascinating.” — Booklist

“This book tells a compelling scientific story of discovery. But the book goes beyond the science and presents the case for society preparing for an event we are at this point are ill prepared for.” — Dan McShane, Engineering Geologist

“The book’s strongest point is the convincing presentation of the scientific arguments that deem Cascadia to be North America’s most dangerous tectonic zone, implying that the next catastrophic earthquake will be the largest megadisaster ever encountered on the new continent.” — Literary Review of Canada