Risky ground: Seismic hazards and transectional networks in the Pacific northwest

The Pacific Northwest faces significant seismic hazards from both great subduction earthquakes and more frequent in-slab events within the Juan de Fuca plate system. This paper presents a breakthrough shift in earthquake risk assessment by integrating geological knowledge from the natural sciences with Actor-Network Theory (ANT) and mobilities research from the social sciences to reconceptualize seismic risk through the lens of transectional networks involving human and non-human actors. We examine the translation processes through which seismic monitoring systems, building codes, emergency response protocols, geological formations, and emerging artificial intelligence/machine learning technologies co-constitute earthquake risk in the region. Drawing from recent advances in uncertainty quantification and economic impact assessment methodologies developed for climate litigation, we argue for more sophisticated measurement protocols that can capture the relational dynamics and cascading effects within seismic networks. The historical record of in-slab earthquakes, including the 24-year gap since the last magnitude 6+ event in 2001, illustrates how temporal patterns emerge from complex interactions between geological agencies and human systems. We develop a novel five-phase integrated transectional risk assessment methodology that holistically accounts for both human and non-human vulnerabilities as they emerge from dynamic network relationships across spatial, temporal, and organizational scales. This methodology operationalizes network mapping, translation analysis, transectional vulnerability assessment, integrated uncertainty quantification, and adaptive intervention design to move beyond traditional hazard-exposure-vulnerability frameworks. The transectional perspective reveals opportunities for earthquake risk reduction that go beyond traditional engineering approaches to encompass network reconfigurations, AI-enhanced monitoring systems, innovative financing mechanisms, and enhanced adaptive capacities across human-non-human assemblages. This interdisciplinary approach provides concrete pathways for developing more effective and equitable earthquake risk management strategies that recognize the agency of both geological processes and technological systems in shaping seismic resilience. • Introduces Actor-Network Theory and transectional analysis to earthquake risk • Develops five-phase transectional methodology with quantitative formulations • Integrates climate litigation methods for earthquake risk assessment frameworks • Analyzes Pacific Northwest seismic patterns including 24-year magnitude 6+ gap • Shows vulnerabilities emerge from network configurations not component properties