Swarm of Quakes Bedevil Hanford, Wash.

by Eric Mortenson, The Oregonian
Friday March 20, 2009, 8:41 PM

It's been a jittery week at eastern Washington's Hanford Nuclear Reservation, where more than 100 small earthquakes have been detected in the past seven days.

The quakes are part of an earthquake "swarm" that has puzzled scientists since it began at the first of the year. As of Friday, monitors at Hanford had detected more than 700 earthquakes since Jan. 4, said Alan Rohay, senior scientist and seismologist with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, which operates at Hanford.

The quakes haven't disturbed the extensive stores of radioactive waste at Hanford or interfered with cleanup operations there. The plant processed plutonium for nuclear weapons during World War II and the Cold War. Highly contaminated liquid material is stored in underground tanks that have a history of leaks, and critics are wary of leaks or spills that could migrate to the nearby Columbia River.
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www.oregonlive.com...

This is not the only mysterious swarm of quakes which ahve occurred lately in the U.S.

Earlier this year, there had been large swarms of earthquakes around Yellowstone which was very unusual, and had authorities concerned.

Yellowstone Lake Earthquake Swarm Update: 2 January 2008

The University of Utah Seismograph Stations reports that as of 1800 MST on 2 January 2009, seismicity of the ongoing Yellowstone earthquake swarm continues. Over 500 earthquakes, as large as M 3.9, have been recorded by an automated earthquake system since the inception of this unusual earthquake sequence that began Dec. 27, 2008. More than 300 of these events have been reviewed and evaluated by seismic analysts. Depths of the earthquakes range from ~ 1km to around 10 km. We note that the earthquakes extend northward from central Yellowstone Lake for ~10 km toward the Fishing Bridge area, with a migration of recent earthquakes toward the north. Some of the dozen M3+ earthquakes were felt in the Lake, Grant Village and Old Faithful areas. Personnel of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory continue to evaluate this earthquake sequence and will provide information to the NPS, USGS and the public as it evolves.

www.usnews.com...

Let's just hope that these swarms of earthquakes are not the preceeding event before any large eruption.

Mount Redoubt is also erupting as we speak, alongside with the increased volcanic activity which is occurring all over the world, and has increased dramatically in recent years.

Here is another post being discussed in the forum about Mount redoubt recent eruptions.
www.abovetopsecret.com...


[edit on 23-3-2009 by ElectricUniverse]

Earthquake swarms aren't mysterious, especially near yellowstone

Earthquake swarms are sequences of earthquakes striking in a specific area within a short period of time. They are different from earthquakes followed by a series of aftershocks by the fact that no single earthquake in the sequence is obviously the main shock, therefore none have notable higher magnitudes than the other. An example of an earthquake swarm is the 2004 activity at Yellowstone National Park.[8]

Well, if you read the article it clearly says and I quote:

the inception of this unusual earthquake sequence that began Dec. 27, 2008.

www.usnews.com...

Yes, there are still many unusual events happening in the world of natural news which scientists cannot fully understand.