A geophysicist reporting on all things Cascadia Subduction Zone.

Doctor Cascadia’s goal

The internet is filled with information about the Cascadia Subduction Zone and the threat it poses to people living the Pacific Northwest region of North America, and more broadly across the Pacific Rim. Unfortunately, this information can oftentimes be fear-mongering, attention-seeking, or just plain wrong. My goal with this blog is to share thoroughly researched information about the Cascadia Subduction Zone along with geologic event reports, review of relevant news and articles, expert opinion pieces, and practical resources to help people living in the Pacific Northwest region prepare for a major Cascadia earthquake and tsunami.

But really, who is Doctor Cascadia?

My name is Madeleine C. Lucas. I received my Ph.D. from the Department of Earth and Spaces Sciences at the University of Washington in June 2026. My research focuses on mapping and characterizing active offshore faults at the Cascadia Subduction Zone. By academic training, I am a Marine Geologist and Geophysicist. In practice, however, I work at the intersection of Cascadia Subduction Zone science and the people living with Cascadia Subduction Zone hazards. I am a passionate science communicator and educator. I love to share about Cascadia Subduction Zone science in a way that everyone can understand (not just academics!). I share my knowledge freely and openly with anyone who is interested, from K-12 students and teachers, to community groups and government officials, to journalists, reporters, and filmmakers, to your grandma out on her morning stroll.

Why do we need Doctor Cascadia?

On average, a major Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake and tsunami event occur once every 300 to 500 years. We know the last big quake occurred on January 26, 1700 because the resulting tsunami wave crossed the Pacific Ocean and struck Japan, taking lives and causing destruction. This event came to be known as the “Orphan Tsunami“, a tsunami with no “parent” earthquake. It turns out, the mystery of Japan’s Orphan Tsunami was never really a mystery at all. The Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest have been passing down oral histories of these earthquakes and tsunamis for generations. One of my favorites is the story of Thunderbird and Whale told by Viola Riebe of the Hoh Tribe. Along with an array of geologic evidence, including tsunami deposits and ghost forests killed when the land dropped during the earthquake, we are certain large earthquakes and tsunamis have happened here in the Pacific Northwest, and that they will happen again in the future. It’s truly not a matter of if, but when.

So, why do we need Doctor Cascadia? I strongly believe that every scientist has a responsibility to communicate their knowledge, not just with other academics, but with everyone. Therefore, I consider it my duty to share my science and the science of others as it relates to the Cascadia Subduction Zone and the hazards it poses to society. With the ever-looming threat of another major Cascadia earthquake and tsunami, sharing science and informing people about how to better prepare has the potential to save lives. That is why I have created Doctor Cascadia. And with that, I hope you, the readers, find this knowledge useful in preparing for the Big One at the Cascadia Subduction Zone.