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US mega-tsunami warning as earthquake could trigger 1,000 feet high waves and drowning states

The mega tsunami could wash away major cities like Seattle and Portand in minutes, while great swathes of US costal land would be at risk of flooding or sinking 6.5 feet under water

[Tsunami warning sign in California]

Parts of America could be wiped out by a mega-tsunami(Image: Getty Images/Photononstop RF)

Several major US cities and states along the US Pacific Coast are at risk of being wiped out almost instantly by a colossal tsunami if a huge earthquake hits the Cascadia Subduction Zone, scientists have ominously warned.

A team of researchers issued the terrifying warning about one of North Americas most dangerous fault lines in a Virginia tech study which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The Cascasdia Subduction Zone (CSZ) runs almost 600 miles from northern Vancouver Island in Canada to Cape Mendocino and could spark a mega-tsunami if stuck by a massive earthquake.

[hows tsunami waves hitting the coast of Minamisoma in Fukushima prefecture]

If an earthquake hit the Cascasdia Subduction Zone, it could spark waves thousands of feet high (file)(Image: JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Images)

According to the study, there is a 15% chance of an 8.0 magnitude or even stronger quake hitting the region within the next 50 years, reports The Economic Times.

That earthquake could wreak havoc across costal states like Washington, Oregon and California, as well as Alaska and Hawaii.

The quakes devastation would be immediate and ruinous, sinking coastal land by up to 6.5 feet, and creating waves that could reach nearly 1,000 feet high - dwarfing regular tsunamis.

[Portland, Oregon ]

US coastal states and cities are at risk of being wiped out(Image: Getty Images/Tetra images RF)

Running extensive computer models to simulate outcomes, scientists predicted cities such as Seattle and Portland would be overwhelmed within minutes, putting millions of people at risk, along with scores of buildings and vast lengths of road at risk of sudden flooding.

The team also warned that this would happen within minutes, leaving no time for adaptation or mitigation".

[Sunset along the Willamette River, Portland Waterfront, Portland, Oregon.]

Portland has been identified as at risk(Image: Getty Images)

Tina Dura, lead author of the study and assistant professor in Virginia techs Department of geosciences said: The expansion of the coastal floodplain following a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake has not been previously quantified, and the impacts to land use could significantly increase the timeline to recovery.

Southern Washington, northern Oregon and northern California would cop the brunt of the effects, while Alaska and Hawaii would be vulnerable because of their seismic and volcanic profiles, despite being further from the fault line.

The last massive earthquake to hit the CSZ hit in 1700 which was powerful enough to create a tsunami in Japan.

[Seattle skyline]

Seattle is also at risk of being obliterated by a mega-tsunami(Image: Getty Images)

Scientists say geological evidences suggests that mammoth earthquakes take place every 400-600 years.

That such a quake hasn't taken place in more than 300 years, coupled with building pressure as the Juan de Fuca Plate pushes under the North American Plate adds to the growing concern a mega-tsunami could blow.

Scientists fear that when the pressure blows, it could trigger the most destructive natual disasters of all time.

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