Minor Earthquakes Registered Near Mount St. Helen's Volcano

According to the United States Geological Survey website, a minor earthquake was registered approximately six miles north-northwest from the Mt. St. Helen's volcano in Washington state. The earthquake was originally reported as a 3.3 magnitude quake but was later revised by the USGS and upgraded to a 4.3 magnitude.

The quake occurred at 10:35 local time at a depth of 5 km or 3.1 miles. This quake was followed by a smaller magnitude earthquake at 10:37. The second quake was measured at a magnitude of 2.5 at a depth of 2.8 km or 1.7 miles. The location of the second quake was seven miles north-northwest of Mt. St. Helen's.

Twitters posts shortly after the first quake indicated that residents of the local area felt the tremor.

Seismic activity is not uncommon in the area around Mt. St. Helen's and in the Cascades Range which is comprised of Mount Baker, Glacier Peak, Mount St. Helen's, Mount Adams and Mount Ranier all in Washington state; Mount Hood, Mount Jefferson, Three Sisters, Newberry Volcano and Crater Lake in Oregon and Medicine Lake volcano, Mount Shasta and Lassen Peak in northern California. As of February 11-- prior to the quakes around Mount St. Helen's-- the USGS had registered small earthquakes in the areas around Mount Ranier and Mount Hood.

The current volcano alert level for the Cascades Range was normal as of February 11 but it is uncertain if the most recent quakes around Mount St. Helen's will change that status. Earthquakes are common prior to volcanic eruptions but there have been no recent indications that Mount St. Helen's is at risk.