A swarm of more than 40 earthquakes, between 3.5 and 5.8 magnitude on the Richter scale, have shaken the Oregon coast in recent hours, drawing the attention of seismologists and the general population to the activation of one of the most active faults in the United States, known as the Blanco fracture zone.
The series of tremors
began early on Tuesday and has spread this Wednesday
with its epicenter in an area of the Pacific Ocean located between 200 and 250 miles west of the coastal city of Newport, in Oregon, according to the CNN network.
"If you had asked me yesterday where on Earth a group of earthquakes of magnitude 5 or more would be most likely to occur in a single day, this would have been the first on my list," said Harold Tobin, director of the Network. Seismic of the Pacific Northwest of the University of Washington, to the mentioned means.
A sign posted above the Pacific Coast Tsunami Hazard Zone in central Oregon.Getty Images
At least nine earthquakes
reached a magnitude of 5 to 5.8, and most were recorded at a depth of about six miles.
According to the United States Geological Survey database, the number of earthquakes of magnitude 5 or greater in the region is triple the annual average (three) recorded since 1980.
None of the earthquakes this week triggered a tsunami warning
, according to the National Tsunami Warning Center.
"The Blanco fracture zone earthquakes are sliding [lateral movements of the blocks of the earth's crust, rather than up-and-down movements], so they are highly unlikely to pose a tsunami threat, even if they are it would produce a larger earthquake, like a magnitude 7, "Tobin said.
Seismologist Lucy Jones clarified that, since 1980,
there have been more than 133 tremors
of magnitude 5 or greater in that fracture zone, but that they have never been followed by anything on the ground.
[A 6.0 magnitude earthquake shakes Northern California and Nevada, shaking buildings]
Tobin added that this phenomenon is more interesting from a seismological point of view than alarming for the population, and it is not indicative that a large, very destructive earthquake is going to occur, as has been feared for decades on the West Coast.
