Third small quake in 3 days rattles Whatcom, this one about 10 miles from Mt. Baker summit
A small earthquake struck late Thursday approximately 10 miles from the summit of Mount Baker. It is the third quake to rumble in Whatcom County this week.
The quake, which struck at 11:17 p.m. March 10, was initially measured with a 2.5 magnitude, according to a U.S. Geological Survey report, but that was later downgraded to a magnitude of 2.2. The epicenter was approximately 1.6 miles west northwest of Glacier, according to the USGS.
The quake was centered approximately 10 miles northeast of Mount Baker’s summit, according to Googlemaps, and would have been only a few hundred feet south of the Mount Baker Highway near Cornell Creek Road. That would put it about 25 miles east northeast of downtown Bellingham.
The quake was relatively shallow, as the USGS reported it was less than a kilometer beneath the earth’s surface.
As of Thursday morning, 10 eastern Whatcom County residents reported feeling the shaking on the USGS’ “Did you Feel It” page.
The quake came less than 31 hours after another small quake (2.1 magnitude) struck a few hundred yards south of the U.S.-Canada border near South Pass Road on Wednesday, March 9, and approximately three days after another, even smaller quake (1.4 magnitude) shook approximately a mile north of Mount Baker’s summit late Monday, March 7.
Quakes of less than magnitude 3.0 are common, and tens of thousands are reported worldwide every year, according to the USGS. A quake of magnitude 1.0 to 3.0 is not felt except by a very few under especially favorable conditions, according to the USGS.
Last month, the Washington State Emergency Management Division announced that the new MyShake Earthquake Early Warning app was available for Washington state residents, giving them time to drop, cover and hold on to protect themselves in the event of a major earthquake.
The MyShake App already was available in California and Oregon and is available for free download through the Apple App Store and Google Play.
This story was originally published March 11, 2022 at 9:53 AM with the headline "Third small quake in 3 days rattles Whatcom, this one about 10 miles from Mt. Baker summit."
