How the recent rise in seismic activity is affecting the Pacific Northwest

Researchers are looking into recent spikes in seismic activity across the Pacific Northwest.

SEATTLE — The Pacific Northwest continues to see spikes in seismic activity, from Mount St. Helens earlier this year to Mount Adams in southern Washington more recently.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) identified six earthquakes at Mount Adams last month when the volcano typically sees only one quake every few years.

Just two months ago, a 6.4-magnitude earthquake off Vancouver Island shook the region, described by the US Geological Survey as the largest earthquake in the Northwest of 2024 so far.

Before that, Mount St. Helens made headlines again, with scientists recording 350 earthquakes between February and June.

Although these quakes may seem alarming, it's business as usual, said Jackie Kaplan Auerbach, a seismologist and professor at Western Washington University in Bellingham.

“Geologic time is long. We don't feel stressed when there are a few years of moderate activity. We don't feel stressed when there are a few years of enhanced activity,” Kaplan-Auerbach said.

She explained that seismology advances one earthquake at a time. With every earthquake comes greater improvements in field, tools and technology.

“As a seismologist, all these earthquakes are interesting,” she said. “But there is no increase in risk.”

In the meantime, researchers say that doesn't mean we shouldn't be prepared, especially for a big event. This is a potential magnitude 9.0 earthquake that is expected to be generated from the Cascadia subduction zone.

It could happen any time from tomorrow to 200 years from now, said Harold Tobin, director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network and a professor at the University of Washington.

“The Pacific Northwest, especially west of the Cascades, is a real earthquake risk area,” he said. “On the resilience side, we've made tremendous progress, but we have a long way to go to make our cities, towns, buildings, bridges and roads more prepared for the earthquakes we know are coming.” .

As for preparedness, he said the Pacific Northwest has room to grow.

“We are certainly better prepared than we were at the time of the Nisqually earthquake,” Tobin said. “The buildings are better constructed than they were then. But we should be doing more retrofitting of older buildings and making all the systems that make our cities and towns more resilient.”

Tobin noted that earthquake detection and public warning systems have improved significantly since the early 2000s.

July's 6.4 magnitude earthquake was the first time the ShakeAlert system was activated for people in Washington state. These alerts are critical, so when the next big warning comes, even if it's not “the big one,” we'll be more prepared, Tobin said.

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