The Brief
- Mount Rainier is experiencing a swarm of hundreds of small earthquakes, the largest since 2009, prompting close monitoring by seismologists.
- The swarm, believed to be caused by hot fluids moving through faults, has calmed but could intensify again, with a recent magnitude 2.3 quake recorded.
- Seismologist Wes Thelen notes that such swarms are not unusual for Mount Rainier, which is not considered particularly active over a long timescale.
SEATTLE – Seismologists are closely monitoring Mount Rainier after a swarm of earthquakes struck the Pacific Northwest’s tallest volcano this week. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reports that hundreds of small quakes have occurred since the swarm began, making it the largest such event at the mountain since 2009.
Wes Thelen, a seismologist with the Cascades Volcano Observatory, told FOX 13 Seattle that the quakes began as a concentrated group of seismic events happening in quick succession.
What they’re saying:…