USGS: Swarm of earthquakes near Mount St. Helens not volcanic activity
There is “no sign” the earthquakes that began rumbling near Mount St. Helens early Wednesday morning are linked to volcanic activity, according to the USGS.
The quakes are tectonic in nature.
“Earthquakes are common in this area with about 1 to 5 occurring per month, although this is the largest recorded event,” the USGS wrote.
A series of earthquakes, including a magnitude 3.9, were recorded near Mount St. Helens early Wednesday morning.
The magnitude 3.9 struck around 12:30 a.m. A magnitude 2.7 quake was recorded just minutes later.
Minor shaking has been recorded in the hours after. As of 10:30 a.m., 21 minor quakes have registered.
People as far as Mountlake Terrace reported feeling the magnitude 3.9 earthquake, according to the USGS’ response page. Only two people in Morton — about 22 miles from the activity — reported feeling the shaking.
Mount St. Helens is best known for an eruption in 1980 that coated the region in ash and blew off the mountain’s peak. The eruption killed 57 people and destroyed hundreds of homes.
Our volcano program coordinator Brian Terbush explains in this video how we can tell when a volcano like Mount St. Helens will “wake up.” This earthquake swarm that’s happening is pretty typical behavior. More info https://t.co/WqGeMdAaII pic.twitter.com/gsm3TI8QkW
— WA Emergency Mgmt (@waEMD) January 3, 2018