These higher energy events seduce our attention by physically intruding into our lives. But the events I find intriguing, and possibly more revealing as to the process that has created the NW, and continues to shape it, producing events like yesterday’s, and another east of Tacoma, are shy EQs way down in the subducting plate, like the modest Mw 1.1 on 02/12 under Deming , WA, down 69 kms. Not many of those occur, EQs =>65 kms in depth, from western Canada to Mendocino, 68 in the last 20 years, most in WA State, and curiously clustered around Deming and east of Seattle. The sexy EQs are attention grabbers, and the seismology easier. But the Benioff activity has to mean something and we remain in the dark as to what the clear picture may be, other than that the subducting plate ruptures internally, as it moves, like some “rock glacier,” plunging down slope into the mantle. But so many ruptures at depth under WA, and so few under Oregon and N CA. Very interesting.
These higher energy events seduce our attention by physically intruding into our lives. But the events I find intriguing, and possibly more revealing as to the process that has created the NW, and continues to shape it, producing events like yesterday’s, and another east of Tacoma, are shy EQs way down in the subducting plate, like the modest Mw 1.1 on 02/12 under Deming , WA, down 69 kms. Not many of those occur, EQs =>65 kms in depth, from western Canada to Mendocino, 68 in the last 20 years, most in WA State, and curiously clustered around Deming and east of Seattle. The sexy EQs are attention grabbers, and the seismology easier. But the Benioff activity has to mean something and we remain in the dark as to what the clear picture may be, other than that the subducting plate ruptures internally, as it moves, like some “rock glacier,” plunging down slope into the mantle. But so many ruptures at depth under WA, and so few under Oregon and N CA. Very interesting.