McGann, M., Enkin, R.J., Hamilton, T.S., Barrie, J.V., Brothers, D.S., Greene, H.G., Maier, K.L., Conrad, J.E., Lauer, R.M., East, A.E., Conway, K.W., Neelands, P.J., and Marcuson, R.K., 2024, Radiocarbon age dating of biological material from cores collected off British Columbia, Canada and southeastern Alaska, U.S. along the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather fault zone: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P96QMQJT.
Two large earthquakes occurred recently along the Queen Charlotte Fault offshore southeastern Alaska (Craig, Alaska in 2013, magnitude 7.5) and western British Columbia (off Haida Gwaii in 2012, magnitude 7.8). These earthquakes led to a realization that offshore hazards in this part of the world are very poorly understood in large part due to the virtual nonexistence of modern seafloor mapping and sedimentological data. To better understand the hazards facing coastal communities of the region (e.g., Juneau, Sitka, Haines, Prince Rupert), the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) and the USGS acquired marine geophysical and geological data along the along the entire 900 km length of the Queen Charlotte Fault during two cruises (in 2015 and 2017) while onboard the CCGS John P. Tully. Radiocarbon age dating of biological material collected in cores and IKU grab samples along the fault was used to determine sedimentation rates and age of fault offsets.
