Recent Rumbles, Quakes Under Mt. Adams Grab ‘Attention’ of Geologists

What has been a normally very 'quiet' volcano in the Cascades is beginning to make a little noise, and a lot more frequently.

  Geologists Move Equipment to Monitor Mt. Adams

Mt. Adams is the 2nd tallest member of the Cascades, at 12,276 feet second only to Mt. Rainier. It's been considered the quietest of the ancient volcanoes, averaging only one small quake every 2-3 years. That's compared with Rainier and yes, Mt. St. Helens, who average dozens of small tremors every month.

But now geologists are watching it more closely.  Beginning in September of 2024, a lot more seismic activity began to be noticed from the mountain.

  Now Geologists Have Stepped up Mt. Adams Watch, Besides Glacier Peak

Last Sunday, a quake measuring 2.6 magnitude was detected 'under' near the mountain, centered 14 miles north of Trout lake, about 1.4 miles beneath the surface. It's the latest in a series of tremors and smaller movement not seen from Adams in years.

Now, additional resources have been directed toward watching Mt. Adams.  They've also been watching Glacier Peak closely as well.

   Glacier Peak is Considered a High Threat Volcano

Glacier, in the north Cascades, is considered high threat, but now the USGS (United States Geological Survey) has allocated additonal resources, besides watching Glacier, to also closely monitor Adams.  Although it last erupted nearly 1,000 years ago, over its life it has produced more 'emissions' than any Pacific Coast Volcano except Mt. Shasta in CA. It's just most of them occurred long, long ago.

Glacier Peak, which has erupted six times in the last 300 years, often gets "ignored" in the public eye  because of its remote location and lack of direct threat to cities, populations and infrastructure.

By contrast, Mt. Adams is 150 miles south of Seattle, and a scant 100 miles Northeast of Portland, OR.

 6 Quakes in September on Adams have Gotten USGS Attention

According to Officials, that dramatic uptick in seismic activity has them looking closely at Mt. Adams, although most of the quakes have been lower than 3.0 levels.