Subsidence Mitigation Efforts
Subsidence due to seismic activity is an unpredictable occurrence and therefore mitigation efforts are difficult to implement. Mitigation techniques used for liquefaction could also be useful in preventing subsidence damage:
- Flexible utility connections and adequate building foundations
- Proper land-use and building code standards for human development
- Avoiding areas that have subsided in the past (ascertained by geologic research)
Although, large-scale subsidence events have not occurred recently there is evidence that these events do occur during Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) earthquakes. Therefore, in the future the risk of a large-scale subsidence event is probable.
Source: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Multi-hazard Identification and Risk Assessment: A Cornerstone of the National Mitigation Strategy. Washington, D.C., 1995 pg. 369