More than 1,000 earthquakes in July in the largest seismic swarm ever recorded at this active volcano in the US, on the verge of erupting

Around Mount Rainier, an active volcano in Washington state, the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network (PNSN) monitors seismic activity to help prepare the region in case the volcano becomes active and erupts. The group has recently been inundated with questions about what’s happening at Mount Rainier, as a “seismic storm” is currently underway.

Volcanic science isn’t perfect, and predicting an eruption isn’t currently possible. However, monitoring seismic activity can give geologists important clues about the level of eruption risk. Since mid-July, Mount Rainier has experienced a “swarm” of seismic events—over 1,200 recorded so far—which are now being reviewed by analysts. Typically, the number of events is much smaller, allowing the team to provide near real-time analysis. But due to the recent spike in activity, the team is asking for patience as they work through the backlog.

More time is needed to uncover what is happening at Mount Rainer

On July 18, the PNSN reported that “10 days into the swarm, about 1,200 total events were recorded by the computer systems, but only 780 have been manually analyzed, leaving 420 still to do.”As the analysis takes place, the organisation will be able to provide more information on what exactly is causing the increase in activity, and what it means for the volcano.

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