A swarm of at least 50 earthquakes have been recorded about 250 miles west of Newberg off the Oregon coast since around 9:30 Monday night. They’re in an area known as the “Blanco Fracture Zone.” The strongest was a magnitude 5.8.  Most have been ranging in intensity from 4.0 to 5.8 and are quite shallow, around 6 miles. The National Weather Service and Pacific Northwest Seismic Network say the activity is eye catching, but nothing to be concerned about. The seismic network says the area is one of the most seismically active in North America and the high activity is not a cause of concern.  

Because it’s not a part of the Cascadia Subduction Zone it doesn’t pose a threat for tsunamis. In any event,  swarms like these are a constant reminder of the potential danger posed by our regions close proximity to the Cascadia Subduction Zone off the Pacific Northwest coast.  Scientists have been predicting there’s about a 37 percent chance of a huge magnitude 9.2 earthquake that could be unleashed from Cascadia in the next 50 years and would likely generate a catastrophic tsunami.