The Cascadia subduction zone could pose a major threat to the West Coast if a high magnitude earthquake were to occur, flooding coastal regions.

New research shows that in minutes after the earthquake hits, coastal areas of California, Oregon and Washington could drop over 6 and a half feet in elevation.

Scary headlines about the Pacific Northwest sinking into the sea are circulating online, with warnings that a major earthquake in the notorious Cascadia subduction zone could be worse than expected. Instead scientists have examined the combined effects of two well-known phenomena: sea-level rise from climate change and the likely consequences of a major earthquake in the region.