Series Of Small Earthquakes Strikes Near Mt. Rainier

MORTON, WA - A series of small earthquakes hit the area around Mt. Rainier National Park early Wednesday morning, with the largest tremor hitting magnitude 3.9, according to The Pacific Northwest Seismic Network. KIRO 7 reported that there were seven earthquakes in total. The initial jolt and following tremors at around 12:30 a.m. could be felt as far away as Portland.

The earthquakes were centered southeast of Morton at a depth of 10 km below the earth's surface, PNSN said.

Western Washington experienced a number of smaller earthquakes under magnitude 3.0 in 2017. (For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Seattle Patch, click here to find your local Washington Patch. Also, follow us on Facebook, and if you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Seismologists have described similar activity in the region as normal for our area. The PNSN previously wrote about a swarm of quakes in the Entiat area in Eastern Washington. Since 1975, hundreds of quakes have been recorded in that area, but seismologists don't think the area is primed for a major event.

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