Mount Rainier has been rocked by hundreds of small earthquakes this week, the most significant series of tremors in more than a decade. However, experts say there is no cause for concern – at least for now.
“There is currently no indication that the level of seismic activity is worrisome,” the USGS said. “The quakes are too weak to be felt at the surface and are likely to continue for several days. Such weak events are not expected to cause damage.”
Swarms are clusters of earthquakes that occur in rapid succession, sometimes within minutes of each other.
As of Wednesday morning, more than 240 small earthquakes had been recorded in the Mount Rainier area, the strongest of which had a magnitude of 2.3.
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“At this point, this swarm is still within what we consider normal background activity at Rainier Volcano,” the U.S. Geological Survey said. “Based on our observations, the most likely cause of the earthquakes is crustal water movement above the magma chamber.”
Mount Rainier is active, although the last significant eruption occurred 500–600 years ago.
“The volcano is not predicted to erupt, and we are not currently observing any signs of a possible eruption,” the USGS concluded.
Sourse: www.upi.com
