Earthquake Near Mt. St. Helens Causes Concern

On Monday morning a 4.3 on the Richter scale earthquake hit in the area not far from the notorious volcano Mount Saint Helens. The medium-sized earthquake was followed by 30 common, but worrying, smaller aftershocks. According to USGS Seismologist Seth Moran the center of the quake was at the Johnston Ridge Observatory and registered on seismic devices as far away as Mt. Rainier and Timberline Lodge.

Moran also said that the quake itself lasted about 3-5 seconds while shaking from the quake took three minutes to subside. The location is precisely six miles north-northwest of the volcano and about 3 miles below ground. Although many felt the quake there were no reports of damage. This moderate earthquake is the largest in what the USGS is calling a ‘swarm’ of quakes; a series of earthquakes ranging in size from 1.3 to 2.6 which occurred in the last week of January.