2012 IRIS Workshop

Correlation Between Repeating Earthquake Activity and Weather at Mount Rainier Volcano

Kate Allstadt: University of Washington, Steve Malone: University of Washington, John Vidale: University of Washington

Small repeating earthquakes with regular recurrence intervals occur often at Mount Rainier volcano but escaped detection until recently. We discovered that their appearance correlates with big winter precipitation events, as shown above. They are generated by glaciers reacting to snow loading, and are not related to volcanic activity, our original concern. We are now studying how such small loads can act on glaciers so quickly to drive motion. Weather data recorded at Paradise Visitors Center.

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