Series Of Small Earthquakes Measured Under Mercer Island

MERCER ISLAND, WA - It's unlikely anyone felt them, but a series of four small earthquakes have been measured under Mercer Island since June 22, according to the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network. The first quake hit on June 22, but the rest all happened on June 24. All the quakes are below a magnitude 2, which means they are likely too weak to have been felt by humans.

The four quakes have all happened east of Island Crest Way. Here are the times and locations:

• June 22, 9:20 a.m. - Magnitude 1.1, near the end of Southeast 36th Street about 0.2 miles under the Gallagher Hill open space
• June 24, 7:47 a.m. - Magnitude 1.8, along Southeast 53rd Place near Lindley Road
• June 24, 11: 25 p.m. - Magnitude 1.5, near the intersection of Southeast 45th Street and 89th Avenue Southeast
• June 24, 11:35 p.m. - Magnitude 1.7, along Southeast 39th Street near Clise Park

And although it might seem strange, small earthquakes like this - even in such a concentrated area - are normal for Puget Sound. In late March and early April, there was a series of very small quakes underneath Bonney Lake, but a seismology expert said that it appeared to just be routine seismic activity. Around that same time, dozens of quakes were detected in the waters off Bremerton, but those eventually petered out.

Patch.com has reached out to the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network to get an opinion on the recent Mercer Island quakes. Check back for updates.

Image via Pacific Northwest Seismic Network