Another Slow Tremor Moving Beneath Olympic Peninsula

reply to post by Anmarie96


Ha...you beat me! Thanks for posting the update. There are two comments that I would like to highlight:

...confirms this seismologist's suspicion that geodetic motions seem bigger than many ETS in the past

and this:

...motions are on average 40% larger than seen in previous ETS including detectable uplift to the west of mapped tremor locations

SOURCE

So am I reading this right? This deep tremor is bigger, longer and more intense than any recorded so far and there is detectable uplift??!! Why the heck isn't this all over the news here? I just don't get it. I mean, if our chances for the 9.0+ 'big one' is increased during these tremors, as January pointed out (thank you for your post, btw. I look forward to more info from you) than the above statements should be making a lot of people stand up and take some serious notice.


I mean, take a look at THIS interactive map of recent quakes!

Mt. Rainier had two quakes today:

10/09/07 00:53:56 46.84N 121.76W 3.2-0.2 AB
10/09/07 01:28:02 46.84N 121.76W 3.0-0.2 AB

Mt. Baker had two yesterday:

10/09/06 14:54:54 48.88N 121.94W 4.1 0.3 DD
10/09/06 18:54:06 48.87N 121.98W 2.0 2.3 BC



I happened to be up at Mt. Rainier this weekend. I have lived here in Washington State for almost my whole life, but I can only remember going there one other time. (I came to a realization as I drove up HWY 12 that this road was the source of my re-curring scary road dreams) Anyways...it was absolutely breath taking. I slept whithin about 20 miles of it one night and yes, it made me a bit nervous. As I drove past the beautiful lake nesteled at it's base the next day, I couldn't help but be reminded of Spirit lake at St. Helens. The potential for Rainier is exceptionally more than Helen's erruption, which is hard to conceive. I was fortunate enough to have a great photo op during my drive and thought I'd share with you all! Enjoy

reply to post by westcoast


That is one beautiful photo wc! Thank you.

I read that update earlier today, I have been checking the tremor maps and quake maps daily.

You are right this should be more in the news.

reply to post by westcoast
I have heard that much of the rock on Rainier has become very fragile form sulphuric gassing and there has been an increase in concern of the stability for this mountain.
Another tidbit I was made aware of is the local towns below Ranier have Lahare drills often. And that the towns are built on top of many layers of past lahars

reply to post by Lil Drummerboy


Yes, there is a lot of concern for what might/could/would happen if even a minor erruption occured at Rainier. A major erruption would be catastrophic for the region. It is estimated to have last errupted about 200 years ago, but it seems that this region only has a written history dating back 200 yrs, so everything else is geological. Here are some snippets from the PNSN:

Mount Rainier was selected as a Decade Volcano because of the hazard it poses to surrounding, highly populated areas, especially the Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area. Mount Rainier has an extensive cover of snow and ice, which, if melted rapidly , could produce catastrophic floods and mudflows. The volcano has an extensive but poorly studied geological record of activity including lava flows, ash eruptions, avalanches, and mudflows. While it has had no significant historic eruptions, minor ones did occur in the mid 1800s, and dozens of lahars are known to have occurred in the last 5,000 years. Some of these lahar deposits are quite massive and extend into the populated Puget Sound lowlands. Because urban development of Mount Rainier's flanks and nearby valleys is still in early stages compared to many volcanos, we have a chance to mitigate the volcanic hazards through appropriate land use.

Hazards from Mount Rainier not only include those of a purely volcanic origin, but also those related to glacier outburst floods, rock-fall, and edifice collapse. Edifice failures, either spontaneous or triggered by large local earthquakes, represent a significant hazard which is hard to quantify. Seismic monitoring of Mount Rainier is part of the normal monitoring job of the Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network. Alarm mechanisms as part of seismic network operations can rapidly notify personnel of unusual or increasing seismicity which would likely precede renewed volcanic activity. It also can, and has, provided information about other hazardous events such as rock-fall and small debris flows. In its present configuration it is doubtful it could provide timely alarm information needed for the evacuation of nearby towns potentially impacted by a large spontaneous edifice collapse.

SOURCE

Here is the current quake list for Rainier:

10/09/01 10:29:09 46.84N 121.74W 2.7 0.1 AC
10/09/01 19:50:38 46.84N 121.76W 3.4 0.3 AA
10/09/01 20:12:46 46.86N 121.74W 0.6 0.2 BC
10/09/01 20:14:19 46.87N 121.73W 1.3 1.1 AB
10/09/07 00:53:56 46.84N 121.76W 3.2-0.2 AB
10/09/07 01:28:02 46.84N 121.76W 3.0-0.2 AB
10/09/08 05:54:25 46.85N 121.74W 3.2 1.2 AA

As you can see, there have been seven so far this month already. None of them are large and most fall whithin the 4km depth that is typically seen with the volcano.

The current stage right now for the cascades is GREEN. LINK

Helens has had three quakes today:

10/09/08 05:22:29 46.19N 122.18W 0.0-0.9 AA
10/09/08 07:36:36 46.19N 122.18W 2.5-0.8 AA
10/09/08 16:15:24 46.19N 122.18W 5.3-1.1 BC


And the Pacific Northwest has had 8 quakes just today (so far):

MAG UTC DATE-TIME
y/m/d h:m:s LAT
deg LON
deg DEPTH
km LOCATION
MAP 1.8 2010/09/08 14:17:29 48.146 -121.722 11.7 7 km ( 5 mi) NNE of Verlot, WA
MAP 1.1 2010/09/08 12:19:41 48.677 -124.705 34.3 35 km ( 22 mi) N of Neah Bay, WA
MAP 2.2 2010/09/08 08:10:24 48.690 -119.689 1.5 15 km ( 10 mi) NNE of Conconully, WA
MAP 1.7 2010/09/08 07:23:37 48.690 -119.684 1.3 15 km ( 10 mi) NNE of Conconully, WA
MAP 1.8 2010/09/08 07:21:49 48.693 -119.688 0.0 16 km ( 10 mi) NNE of Conconully, WA
MAP 1.2 2010/09/08 05:54:25 46.852 -121.747 3.1 23 km ( 14 mi) ENE of Ashford, WA
MAP 1.1 2010/09/08 03:59:31 47.185 -122.204 5.8 3 km ( 2 mi) W of Bonney Lake, WA
MAP 1.9 2010/09/08 01:52:47 48.117 -122.815 27.7 3 km ( 2 mi) W of Port Townsend, WA


USGS

The deep tremors are still going strong and I think are still connected with all the activity as late.

well it will in an interesting watch,.I was just out at Yellowstone this past weekend,.
Already planning a trip for next year but we are going to throw Rainier and Helen in the mix,.
I was out at St. Helen's a few years ago for business and did some hiking,
It is an awesome reminder to the potential power the earth holds, when you see the aftermath there.

reply to post by westcoast

Yep thats a volcano alright

westcoast has anyone reported feeling any of these tremors yet (I mean apart from the bigger quakes that usgs show)?

reply to post by muzzy


If you mean the deep tremors, no I don't think so. They are at a low frequency that is not usually felt. As far as the small quakes at Rainier, again no. The 2 mag range that we have had a few of this past week, is usually felt because they tend to be shallow on this side of the State.

Just looking at the maps, it definately seems that we are having more than the norm. If we start getting some in the 3+ range, it'll be more concerning.

It looks as if this might be coming to an end. Now I'll be curious to see what, if any affect this has on local seismisity and volcanic stability. Are the tremors relieving built-up stress or is it more of a build-up to the big shift? Like a percussion wave before the real energy is released?

The one thing that has be wondering more is the observation the shelf actually seems to reverse direction during this. This makes me feel more like all of this is more of shift in energy rather than a release.

What are your thoughts out there? We have been following and reading up on this for a while now.


The latest report:

Sep 8, 2010 - During the last two days the tremor has decreased in intensity a lot. It seems to be down to only one third as many locatable bursts in the north and today there were none in the south near Longview. Maybe this ETS is about over.

SOURCE

reply to post by westcoast


Seems rather odd to me. We have a large spike in tremor so to speak of and then a major drop

Foxnews put out today This Article .

I am very curious about this. It appears to me that since the deep tremor started Yellowstone has been relatively quiet. Now that the Tremor seems to have abruptly stopped - for today anyway, I wonder what effect if any it will have on Yellowstone.

Just thinking out loud here.

reply to post by Anmarie96


Good find! The following closing statement in the above linked article is a bit scary:

These observations may also help explain the unusual lack of deep seismology in the Pacific Northwest, and perhaps shed light on some larger mysteries. "If you look at the mass extinctions on Earth," Camp said, "we think that a few may have been associated with eruptions from mantle plumes."

So far today there have been no updates, so we don't know if it is continuing to subside or increase. Based on the recent two quakes in the sound, I am going to guess that they are still rumbling.

I live up more north near Bellingham, so I'll keep you posted on anything that happens in northern Washington, as far as quakes or anything that might be related to this goes.

reply to post by BigOrange


Great! Always good to find another member in the PNW.

In case you haven't already seen it, here is link to my thread titled What might really be happening in Washington State

Check it out! You might find some of the information of interest.

I plan to keep a close eye on this topic. I actually live in the Lahar valley with a slight view of the mountain...err Mt. Rainier from my bedroom window. I haven't felt anything, although we had a small 2.4 I think just a few miles from my house. Problem is I live close to 100 yards from two train tracks. A few month's ago there was one of the lahar sirens malfunctioning and went off. Lot's of people called in. If something happens at Rainier you won't hear from me.. I'll be busy driving.

reply to post by Isaac (RIP DUSTIN)


Wow, your bedroom window? Magnificent isn't she? When you look at it (like in my picture), it is hard to imagine the death and destruction simmering below the surface. Then you look at the aftermath still present at Helen's and it become a little easier.

I noticed the evacuation route signs while we were driving. A vivid reminder.

Don't worry, we won't hold it against you if you don't post first before running!

reply to post by Isaac (RIP DUSTIN)
No,, I think you should have a laptop and an aircard with a Skype camera,.
So we can All watch the action''

Out where I live in most parts of my city, we have an excellent view of most of Mt. Baker, and that's also another beautiful mountain. Scary thing about baker, is the baker dam is right next to the mountain, so if there's a major eruption, that dam is going to let millions of gallons of water go right down into the valley I live in.

They say Baker is another overdue volcano that has gone of within a certain amount of years, research in to soil etc shows...

With all of these slow tremors in this region, has any scientist checked the Olympic Mountain Range to see if there has been any upward movement? With all of the major quakes going on around the western pacific ocean I keep getting this feeling there is pressure being pushed on the Juan de Fuca Plate and might the eastern part slip upward. If you search wikipedia (mods edit if I need to add a link to that site) for Olympic Mountains and read how they were formed, could that be happening again?
Also, kind of an "change of topic" thought here. If you look at the USGS Earthquakes site. I have been noticing earthquakes on the western U.S making somewhat of a circle formation. Starting in Washington, down the Oregon coast then to California, circling eastward up thru Nevada, Utah, Idaho then Montana. To me it look's circular. Maybe I'm just seeing things..

reply to post by Isaac (RIP DUSTIN)


Yup, you have brought up several good points. Part of the array study includes monitoring for uplift. I believe there should be info compiled hopefully soon.

As far as history repeating itself...funny thing is, no one seems to really know just what is happening. There has been a lot of new info as of late regarding the very formation of the cascades and the whole pacific northwest, extending into Wyoming and Yellowstone. Go back about a page and you'll find a link to an article about it. Very interesting stuff.

The circle you mention has been talked about before amongst some of us quake watchers. It's becoming quite obvious, don't ya think? Perhaps that plume newly discovered under Yellowstone isn't alone? Oh man....why do I have these thoughts??

Originally posted by westcoast
reply to post by Isaac (RIP DUSTIN)

 

The circle you mention has been talked about before amongst some of us quake watchers. It's becoming quite obvious, don't ya think? Perhaps that plume newly discovered under Yellowstone isn't alone? Oh man....why do I have these thoughts??

Just noticed this "circle" follows Cascade, Olympic, Sierra, and Rocky Mountain ranges... Along the edges.
I'll have to check out what you mentioned a few pages back.

Looks like tremors have started up again

170 in last 12 hrs.

www.pnsn.org...