Elleda Wilson: Leak zone

Apr. 27—The somewhat alarming news is that the University of Washington has found warm liquid seeping out of the ocean floor near Newport that actually comes from 2.5 miles below, where the Cascadia Subduction Zone has a plate boundary, King5.com reports. Researchers have named the spring the Pythias Oasis.

The news is that the leaking liquid is a lubricant, meaning there's less lubricant below to keep stress from building up between the plates, and a news release says "calculations suggest the fluid is coming straight from the Cascadia megathrust." Even so, University of Washington researchers said the leak itself doesn't "trigger" earthquakes.

If it makes you feel any better, the Oregon Department of Emergency Management said that scientists' current prediction is that the chance of a megathrust earthquake of 7.1 magnitude, or higher, occurring along the Cascadia Subduction Zone in the next 50 years is 37%. However, the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network has a cheerier view: About a 15% chance in the next 50 years. (Screenshot: University of Washington)