Western Washington has experienced dozens of earthquakes so far this week, seismographic measurements show.
But nearly all of them have been too small for most people to notice. But the swarm of quakes, coupled with a series of large earthquakes throughout the Pacific rim's Ring of Fire, has scientists wondering if the Pacific Northwest is in store for a large one of its own.
As of 5 p.m. PT Thursday, eight quakes were recorded in Washington state, ranging from less than a magnitude one to a 2.6 (big enough for that some people could have felt it).
Fourteen earthquakes were recorded on Wednesday, and six on Tuesday.
One quake on Wednesday -- a 1.8 near Skykomish -- set a record for depth, occurring 60 miles down. At that depth, the quake was in the so-called Cascadia subduction zone, where the Juan de Fuca tectonic plate is being pulled and driven beneath the North American plate. It's that zone that has caused huge earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest's past ... and one day will again.
Here's a list of the quakes recorded Thursday in Washington state:
- 1.4 -- 11 miles NNE of Othello, WA
- 1.8 -- 8.8 miles NE of Othello, WA
- 1.3 -- 6.1 miles ESE of Deming, WA
- 2.5 -- 6.7 miles SE of Deming, WA
- 1.6 -- 1.2 miles WSW of Entiat, WA
- 1.0 -- 7.2 miles ESE of Deming, WA
- 2.6 -- 6.1 miles SE of Deming, WA
- 0.8 -- 9.3 miles N of Poulsbo, WA