Recent Seismic Activity at Mount Adams Volcano Raises Concerns

0:00 Mount Adams Volcano

Mount Adams, an active volcano in south-central Washington, has recently experienced a significant increase in volcano-tectonic earthquakes, with a recorded rate 180 times higher than usual. In the last month, six minor earthquakes, ranging from magnitudes 0.85 to 1.95, occurred, marking the highest seismic activity since monitoring began in 1982. Despite this increase, geologists believe the quakes are not related to magma movement due to the lack of ground deformation and the earthquakes' shallow depths.

3:01 3 Possibilities

Three possible explanations for these earthquakes are considered:

• Minor magma intrusion heating the hydrothermal system.
• Increased heat flow without new magma.
• A slow landslide creep, although this is unlikely. The recent activity raises concerns for the nearby Trout Lake community, which could be at risk from a lahar, despite Mount Adams being one of the least active volcanoes in the Cascade Range.

4:28 New Seismometers

The U.S. Geological Survey is expanding monitoring efforts by increasing the number of seismic stations around Mount Adams due to the unusual activity. The current unrest is rated as low on a scale of 0 to 10, reflecting the potential for undetected microearthquakes.