More than a dozen small earthquakes overnight near Mt. St. Helens



MORTON, Wash. -- No damage has been reported after a cluster of small earthquakes in the Mt. St. Helens area.

The Pacific Northwest Seismic Network recorded more than 15 quakes a few miles northeast of the mountain, near Spirit Lake.

The largest quake, magnitude 3.9, struck just after midnight Tuesday.

It was followed minutes later by a 2.7 magnitude temblor. Dozens of smaller aftershocks have been hitting since then.



The seismic network outreach director, Bill Steele, says it's fairly typical to see earthquake swarms in this area though somewhat unusual to have one with a 3.9 magnitude.



Steele said Wednesday morning that a larger quake could follow within 48 hours but there's a small probability of that happening.

He says even though the quakes have been located near Mount St. Helens, it's not caused by the magma underneath the volcano.

Some people on social media posted that they could feel it all the way in Portland, about 80 miles south of the epicenter.

Mt. St. Helens remains one of the most active volcanoes in the Cascade Range.