Let’s talk about Mount Adams for a second, the often-overlooked giant of the Pacific Northwest. You’ve got Mount Rainier grabbing all the attention with its flashy glaciers and frequent seismic activity, and then there’s Mount Hood, pulling in all the skiers and adventurers. And, of course, Mount St. Helens, which famously went off in dramatic fashion in 1980, still holds a special place in people’s memories. But Mount Adams? Not so much. It’s the quieter cousin in this family of volcanoes—calmer, less threatening, or at least, that’s what most people thought until recently.
Nestled near the foot of Mount Adams in Washington’s Cascades Range, Conboy Lake is a scenic gem within the National Wildlife Refuge System. The refuge offers visitors diverse scenery and abundant recreational opportunities like hiking and birding.
Photo by Henry Kammetler pic.twitter.com/VSJqLbqcew
— US Department of the Interior (@Interior) October 16, 2024
Now, don’t start packing your emergency kit just yet. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently issued an alert about a little flurry of earthquakes around Mount Adams, but let’s not jump to conclusions. Seismically, this guy’s pretty mellow. The USGS has labeled it a “high threat” volcano, but that’s a step below its “very high threat” siblings like Rainier, Hood, and St. Helens. You see, Mount Adams normally just chills in the background with an occasional earthquake every couple of years. Compare that to Mount Rainier, which can rumble with up to 20 quakes a month, and Adams feels like it’s napping most of the time.
But, hold on—things have been getting a bit noisier lately. According to Jon Major, a scientist from the Cascades Volcano Observatory, Mount Adams has experienced 10 earthquakes this year alone, with six of those happening in September. Is this unusual? Yep. Is it cause for concern? Not quite yet. These quakes have been pretty minor, ranging from magnitudes of 0.9 to 2.0, and that’s not exactly the kind of activity that screams “eruption imminent.”
Mount Adams usually sees an earthquake every couple years. There were six in September 2024 alone. Scientists are sending resources out for closer monitoring. https://t.co/oucf82asH9
— FOX 13 Seattle (@fox13seattle) October 11, 2024
The thing is, there’s only one federal seismometer near Mount Adams, so pinpointing the exact locations and depths of these tremors is tricky. But the USGS isn’t just sitting around; they’ve installed three new temporary seismic stations to keep an eye on things. If the quakes start getting bigger, shallower, and more frequent, then it might be time to worry. For now, though, it’s more of a “wait and see” situation.
What about other signs of volcanic unrest? So far, there aren’t any. Satellite imagery doesn’t show any bulging or swelling of the mountain—an indication that magma might be on the move. And there’s no significant gas venting, either. In other words, Mount Adams isn’t throwing up any major red flags just yet.
Historically, when Adams has erupted, it’s been a lava flow kind of situation, not the explosive, ash-cloud-to-the-stratosphere kind of event that people tend to fear. The last time this volcano erupted was somewhere between 3,800 and 7,600 years ago, so it’s not exactly in a hurry to make a scene. However, one real risk in the area would be volcanic mudflows, or lahars, which could affect the nearby town of Trout Lake, Washington, if things ever get dicey.
So, what’s the verdict? These recent earthquakes are definitely “a little unusual,” as Major put it, but nothing has happened so far that suggests an eruption is on the horizon. Just because the ground’s shaking a little doesn’t mean Mount Adams is ready to blow its top. For now, it seems content to keep its low-key, under-the-radar status.
