Geologists record 38 small quakes on Mt. Hood since Sunday

A51Watcher · March 31, 2014, 12:23:20 AM

A swarm of small earthquakes on Mount Hood has captured the attention of state geologists and rattled the nerves of some nearby residents.

The quakes started Sunday evening and have been rumbling directly beneath Government Camp.

Rachael Fisher lives there and recently felt some unusual shaking.

"Yeah I did think I felt something up at the Palmer Lodge just up the road... yeah I think I may have felt something," she explained.

As of Friday geologists have recorded 38 tremors. The largest one was only a magnitude 2.3, barely big enough to feel.

More: State urges preparedness after two West Coast tremors

But it's not the size of the quakes that's intriguing the scientists, it's where they're happening. They seem to be occurring right alongside a recently discovered fault.

"The fact that the earthquakes are defining a fault means that that fault is active and if it can make a magnitude 2.3 it can probably make a much larger earthquake," explained Ian Madin Chief Scientist with the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries.

Madin has been tracking this swarm since it began.

Unlike past seismic swarms on Mount Hood, he said this one is likely not tied to any volcanic activity.

And he does not think the quakes are a pre-cursor to a future eruption.

But he explained now that geologists know there may be active fault close to Government Camp, they can keep a closer eye on it.

by Keely Chalmers, KGW News

http://www.kgw.com/news/Geologists-record-31-small-quakes-on-Mt-Hood-since-Sunday-252560371.html

The image above is the view from Portland east to Mt.Hood.

Now here is our view from Portland to the north to Mt. St. Helens -

... which is our other active volcano nearby.

A51Watcher · March 31, 2014, 12:39:51 AM

Here is the view north from here of St. Helens back in the day (1980) -

...and here is the view today, where you can hike right up to it -

Both St. Helens and Mt. Hood are still active volcanoes, so of course a sudden swarm of quakes on Mt. Hood are of concern.

A51Watcher · March 31, 2014, 01:25:32 AM

Here is the view when St. Helens erupted and the ash deposited on Portland -

Very fine ash, which was a huge mess to clean up, it got into everything.

However all gardens and fruit trees in Portland grew prize winning produce for about the next 3 - 4 years.

A51Watcher · March 31, 2014, 02:32:14 AM

zorgon · March 31, 2014, 03:19:26 AM

I was in Toronto at the time we had three days of dusty skies. Tried to find a photo as I saw one a few years back but no luck yet.

Looks like Northen Cali is shaking too

18-MAR-2014 10:33:59    40.69    -125.33    4.4    23   OFF COAST OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA     4488945
17-MAR-2014 13:25:36    34.13    -118.49    4.39    10   SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA     4488913
16-MAR-2014 03:46:09    40.86    -125.02    4.0    24   OFF COAST OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA     4488846
15-MAR-2014 15:12:09    35.02    -119.32    4.3    15   CENTRAL CALIFORNIA     4488813
14-MAR-2014 16:32:35    40.35    -124.61    4.0    20   NEAR COAST OF NORTHERN CALIF.     4488332
13-MAR-2014 19:13:16    41.84    -126.90    4.6    10   OFF COAST OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA     4530510
13-MAR-2014 19:11:35    41.89    -126.86    5.2    10   OFF COAST OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA     4482428
13-MAR-2014 02:11:04    36.12    -118.05    4.6    0   CENTRAL CALIFORNIA     4457959
12-MAR-2014 00:31:44    44.32    -129.15    5.1    10   OFF COAST OF OREGON     4446014
11-MAR-2014 05:25:40    74.55    -72.82    4.7    10   BAFFIN BAY     4429728
10-MAR-2014 10:28:18    40.78    -125.19    4.5    19   OFF COAST OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA     4417744
10-MAR-2014 05:51:11    40.60    -125.17    4.4    2   OFF COAST OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA     4417725
10-MAR-2014 05:18:13    40.83    -125.13    6.8    17   OFF COAST OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA     4417721