Temporary earthquake monitors to be pulled from Mount Adams

The Great Shakeout

Thursday marked "The Great Washington Shakeout," an annual reminder for earthquake preparedness.

YAKIMA, Wash. - The U.S. Geological Survey has reported an unusual increase in seismic activity around Mount Adams, a volcano in Washington’s Cascade Range.

In September alone, six earthquakes were recorded at Mount Adams, an unusual uptick for the generally quiet volcano.

"Generally, Mount Adams is a quiet volcano, but our volcanoes talk to us all the time," said Jon Major of the Cascades Volcano Observatory. "Typically, Mount Adams would experience one earthquake every couple of years."

Concerned by this surge in activity, the USGS, in collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service, installed temporary seismometers in the remote area to better monitor the situation. At least three new monitoring devices have been set up over the past three weeks.

However, due to the harsh winter conditions expected in the coming months, these devices—powered by solar panels—will likely become ineffective once snow covers the area.

Mount Adams has only had one permanent seismometer in place, located approximately 10 miles from the volcano. This may have contributed to the limited detection of smaller earthquakes in the past.

"It’s possible there have been small quakes that we didn’t detect because of the limited monitoring equipment," Major added.

The largest earthquake recorded this year at Mount Adams had a magnitude of two.

This comes as the installation of new monitoring systems faces serious setbacks on Glacier Peak, one of Washington's most active volcanoes.

While the current seismic activity at Mount Adams is not considered an immediate threat, the USGS plans to install more permanent monitors next year to enhance long-term monitoring capabilities.