What might really be happening in Washington State?

reply to post by westcoast

Let's hope Glacier Peak quiets back down; Rainier and St. Helens are enough to keep eyes on.

Hey WestCoast, you had asked about the thumbnails (small pics). After you upload an image, there should be a code enclosed in "[thumb]" brackets below the image--just copy & paste--instant tiny pics!

Lastly, here is the latest ETS map. Northern California is still slipping, but it seems to be slowing down.
Source of Map data
(If this isn't the correct thread for this type of info, please let me know--I'm still learning the ropes around here)

reply to post by Olivine


Thank you for the info AND for the updated map. Still a lot of deep tremors going on. I stand by what I said; I was obviously off on when the quake would happen, but this energy will balance out.

Oh...and I know why my little dog was uptight. We had two 2.1 quakes about 30 miles from me in the past couple days:

MAP 2.1 2011/11/02 04:49:59 48.721 -122.899 13.2 23 km ( 14 mi) NNE of Friday Harbor, WA
MAP 2.1 2011/11/01 21:47:28 48.092 -121.933 0.0 3 km ( 2 mi) ENE of Granite Falls, WA

source

So I have an update on Glacier Peak and I wanted to give it its own post:

I wrote to the PNSN yesterday about the micro quakes, providing a link to that seismo. They have always been good about getting back to me, but I really didn't expect what they said. Here is a copy of the email (reading from bottom up):

********

Tara,


Thank you for the heads up!


There do seem to be some small local earthquakes on this record and we are looking at them more closely. Our coverage of Glacier Peak is pretty poor. We have only one station on the mountain and our system requires 3 or more stations to "trigger" on an event to get computer generated notifications. This would happen with a magnitude 2 or better but small M 1 earthquakes can slip by if not noticed. "Ice Quakes" can also look a lot like small earthquakes but usually have a different frequency content.
Our duty seismologists often review our subnet triggers with a particular eye for GPW events because of our poor coverage in the area but there are hundreds of these, usually wind noise, and interesting little events can get missed.
Thanks again for watching and taking the time to write. We will follow up and let you know what the volcano seismologists have to say about these once they have had a chance to review this "activity".


XXXX


XXXXXXXXXXX
Director of Outreach & Information Services
University of Washington,
Pacific Northwest Seismic Network
Box 351310
Seattle, WA 98195-1310

www.pnsn.org...


On Nov 1, 2011, at 12:55 PM, tara XXXXXXX wrote:


Hello! I have been monitoring the cascade chain for sometime now and couldn't help but notice the recent activity at Glacier Peak. I live less than 50 miles from this volcano so have a vested interest in it! (My house sits on its last lahar) Looking at the most recent seismo:

www.iris.washington.edu...

....there most definitely seem to be some micro quakes, increasing in size over the past couple of days. Given the eruptive nature of this volcano, and the lack of monitoring equipment/isolation, it is one that makes me a bit nervous. I see that to date, none of these quakes have been listed. Are you aware of any changes or signs in addition to these micro quakes?

Thank you for your time-

Tara XXXXXXXX

(names removed to protect the innocent )



SO. Even though I have been telling people my concern for Galcier Peak is partly due to the poor monitoring, I am surprised to have it confirmed. Maybe I shoudn't be.

To think that my observations might actually be of use to them, is actually quite a boost. I mean, it is more than worth the time just for my own personal knowledge and the ability to share the information in a forum such as ATS. That the PNSN could benefit from it confirms what I have somewhat suspected but never really believed. Amazing how this internet thingy can connect so many people.

I'll be sure to share any further info that I get. Of note, it seems that the micro quakes have calmed down!!

I have a friend who is a geologist. He works in Geothermal engineering.

So they have been doing work in the Seattle region, Says the Seattle region has a fault that has split and one side has raised 21 feet or meters (wasn't clear on which due to his being European I never know if it is in ft or meters, i'll ask the next time we talk)

He says there is some crazy stuff going on there. This movement has been in the recent years.

reply to post by outandopen


Ummmm....yah. I would certainly like to hear a whole lot more about this. Is there any way you could get some more specifics for us? Or maybe where we can look for some confirmation? That would be incredible info to have!


I got another response back. Essentially, yes. There's a bunch of noise up there....our guess work is just as good as theirs. With only one station, it is hard to distinguish. Puterman seems to do a darn good job though:

link

I think it's great that they would go out of their way to talk with me about it,and I am really glad to know that it is more than worth our time to pay attention. They said that there did NOT seem to be an upward trend. Bottom line: I and others will continue to keep an eye on her!


ETA: FYI...for anyone looking at the station, it is very windy here tonight!!!

I did find this as a good place to start looking:

The Seattle Fault (and the related Tacoma Fault) is not the only source of earthquake hazard in the Puget Lowland. Other faults in the near surface continental crust, such as the South Whidbey Island Fault (near Everett), and the yet to be studied Olympia Fault (near Olympia), though historically quiescent, are suspected of generating earthquakes of around magnitude 7. Others, such as the 2001 Nisqually earthquake, originate about 50 to 60 km below Puget Sound in the Benioff zone of the subducting Juan de Fuca plate; being so deep their energy is dissipated. And there are the infrequent but very powerful great subduction events, such as the magnitude 9 1700 Cascadia earthquake, where the entire Cascadia subduction zone, from Cape Mendocino to Vancouver Island, slips.

source

PNSN site for major faults in the Puget Sounds

From the above link:

Many of these faults are inferred indirectly from gravity and magnetic surveys. There is evidence of recent movement on some of these faults. For example, in about 900 AD an earthquake is believed to have occurred on the Seattle Fault which raised Restoration point about 21 feet and Alki point at least 12 feet. These points are located just south of the Seattle Fault on either side of the Puget sound.

The motion on many of these faults is vertical. For example, vertical motion on the Seattle Fault and faults just to the north have caused the block of earth between faults H and I on the map to drop a total of more than 12,000 feet in the last 40 million years. The resulting basin has, of course, been filled with sediments.

Are you sure your friend is talking about recent lift? Or the one mentioned here????


It includes a map (though rough) of these faults. I am surprised to find there is one that runs just South of me!

reply to post by westcoast


Just 'listened' to yesterday. Nothing to report really. Possibly one local quake. The San Juan Islands one registered clearly.

volcanowatcher.wordpress.com...

I shall put the seismos here daily and hopefully within a day or so of the date will get to listen and analyse.

reply to post by zenius

Are the metallic sounding knocks the tree root sounds? How did whoever it was work out it was tree roots?

Well more likely ice actually but the signature is the same/similar. Tree root rock creates a short sharp spike and I think Ice does as well. As to who worked that out I have no idea!! I guess it was from looking at seismos in wooded areas on windy days and putting two and two together to make four and a half or there abouts according to the computer models. This result was extrapolated from (missing because we dumped it) data that would have skewed the result to four.

Metallic? Think how ice on a pond rings. Mm, maybe you don't have too much ice in Australia

reply to post by PuterMan


Thank you!!!

Great to have a spot to go and have all the links/info.

So for anyone interested, here is a cool link for live sattelite weather imaging of the region:

Weather


It has a cool map you can play with that shows the topography really well. I am located in Sedro Woolley. If you zoom out just a bit, you can see baker to the NE (about 20 miles or so) and Glacier Peak to the SE (about 30-40 miles)....Glacier Peak isn't even labled until you zoom in on it, but it is white capped and it says baker National Forrest right above it. Interesting to see how all the lahars flowed down the different rivers, etc. It gives you a good idea of how it would put a lot of communities at risk...and also how it is kinda hidden in between all those other hills.

So here is a image of what is presently on GEE:





Interesting. At first when the signal started, I figured it was wind...but it just didn't seem 'right' for wind noise, and when I saw it abruptly end, followed by what appears to be a small quake.....well, that firmed it up for me.

What do ya'll think? A small slide with a little ice quake????


Here is how it looks on the seismos:

IRIS

PNSN webi

Oh...and the station above it on GEE is out in the sound, the one below it is at Mount Baker (also showing a little disturbance)

reply to post by westcoast

I don't know WestCoast, 8+ minutes is a long time for a slide. Did you mean an avalanche or rock fall. In my years working in the Sierras and Cascades those events happen in seconds.
My guess (emphasis on guess) is that one of the glaciers was grinding a millimeter or two down the slope for a few minutes. It definitely looks like a small quake at the end of the trace, though. Interesting find.

reply to post by Olivine


Good points. You may very well be right. That would tie into the 'snap' at the end!

It just started doing it again right now.

Okay, my little dog is scared to death. I haven't seen her this bad since we had those little quakes very close by earlier this year. Shaking like a leaf, moaning, hiding. We'll see.

reply to post by westcoast


Updates on this available

Ice quake at the end I think. There is a sound file as well.

reply to post by PuterMan


The sound file is so very odd. You can hear it building up and it lasts for sometime...than it suddenly drops off and there is a 'pop'. Just seems so wierd.

I was able to enjoy another nice walk this evening. It was quite cold out, but there was still a beautiful sunset and I was able to catch some geese just as they were passing in front of the moon!

Now THESE are earthquakes. Small, but too big for ice quakes, imo.

When that above link runs out, you can also view them on the IRIS seismo.

LOL... I suppose I should mention these are from the lone station up on Glacier Peak.

Mt Fremont and STAR look like explosions. What is that? Instrument problems?

Ok, from the interactive webis, none of the station links close to Rainer are working....missing link, time outs. Is PNSN having a meltdown?

reply to post by zenius


Whatever it was, it seems to have stopped now.
2nd