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Swarm of over 100 earthquakes hits Hanford nuclear site near Tri-Cities in Washington, U.S.

The Watchers, By Rishav Kothari, Thursday, September 26, 2024

A series of over 100 shallow earthquakes have struck 48 km (30 miles) on the edge of the Hanford nuclear site northwest of Washington’s Tri-Cities since Saturday, September 21, 2024, with scientists attributing the tremors to tectonic activity near the Yakima Fold and Thrust Belt.

Over 100 earthquakes have been recorded around 48 km (30 miles) northwest of the Tri-Cities area in Washington since Saturday. The quakes were recorded on the western edge of McGee Ranch, at the Hanford Reach National Monument.

Most of the quakes were below M2.0, with the largest being M2.9, which struck the north end of the swarm at 20:22 LT on Sunday, September 12. Most of them occurred at a depth of around 8 km (5 miles), classified as shallow crustal quakes.

…………………………………….. As there was no clear mainshock and only short intervals between the quakes, scientists are classifying them as a swarm. The quakes appear to have been caused by regular tectonic activity associated with the Yakima Fold and Thrust Belt on a fault line near Umatanum Ridge.

“This is a completely natural phenomenon. Although this swarm occurs just outside the Hanford Site, it has no connection to the radioactive waste stored there,” said Renate Hartog, manager of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network.  https://watchers.news/2024/09/26/swarm-of-over-100-earthquakes-hits-hanford-nuclear-site-near-tri-cities-in-washington-u-s/?fbclid=IwY2xjawFi1spleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHbPlO3FW6M25Zs-Wzr71HhurIRjDtZISc92qOHDaDl7ZCS8V2dBgUTDrYQ_aem_Twt2AQaNNa6c4MMkNTE6zA

September 28, 2024 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA