100+ Quakes Rattle Mt. Rainier in Ongoing Swarm

Earthquakes are common, especially around the volcanic regions of Washington, but an ongoing swarm caught my attention. A check of the earthquakes today shows something a bit unusual near Mt. Rainier with more than 100 earthquakes over a very short period of time.

A daily check of the latest earthquakes from the USGS shows that Mt. Rainier has had over 100 earthquakes just today. A further look at things reveals that quakes are still happening and the number goes up every few minutes. A statement from the Cascades Volcano Observatory says that the quakes began at 1:29 PDT and that there have been hundreds with rates up to several per minute.

The highest magnitude recorded so far at this time is 1.6 according to the latest earthquakes map, but the statement said a 1.7 was the highest.

Does this mean there will be an eruption?

Currently the CVO says that there is no cause for concern, and that swarms usually happen a couple of times per year. Those swarms typically don't include so many quakes. There was a swarm in 2009 that lasted for 3 days and included over 1000 quakes.

The US Geological Survey and the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network will be monitoring the earthquakes with their GPS stations, webcams and seismometers to keep a close watch of the situation and they will release more information if needed.