There’s been some unusual rumblings coming from Mount Adams, but for those in the area, it’s not time to panic. Geologists are closely monitoring

Washington’s ‘Forgotten Giant’ Volcano Stirs: Surge in Quakes Prompts Increased Monitoring

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2024-10-09 19:00:08

There’s been some unusual rumblings coming from Mount Adams, but for those in the area, it’s not time to panic. Geologists are closely monitoring Washington’s largest volcano (and second tallest mountain), which hasn’t erupted since the Bronze Age.

During the month of September, the United States Geological Service detected six earthquakes at the mountain. That’s unusually high, given that Mount Adams typically experiences just one earthquake every two or three years. In fact, it’s the most quakes detected in the area within a single month since 1982. The shakes spurred the USGS to increase the number of sensors they have deployed in the area, to determine whether the quakes are a sign of an impending eruption.

The six quakes were all relatively minor, with none exceeding 2.0 on the Richter scale. The seismic activity was not felt at the surface and was only detected because of a seismic station located seven miles away from Mount Adams’ summit. While it’s understandable that this could be a tad nerve wracking, geologists who study the area said it’s not yet clear if the increase in seismic activity is anything more than just an unusually high number of tremors.

“We are now working to gather more data to assess if this is really something unusual or just a volcano talking to us a bit more than it normally does,” Jon Major, the scientist-in-charge at the USGS’ Cascades Volcano Observatory, told LiveScience.