Mount St Helens recharges its magma stores through multiple quakes

Over the past two months, Mount St Helens has witnessed more than 130 earthquakes. The tiny quakes that started on 14 March have been occurring at a depth of 1.2 to 4 miles beneath the surface.

Mount St Helens' continuous eruption suggests that it may be recharging its magma stores. According to the US Geological Survey, the federal agency that monitors volcanic activity, apart from 130 quakes there were many quakes that were too small to be noticed. "At this point, there is absolutely no sign that it will erupt anytime soon, but the data we collect tells us that the volcano is still very much alive," stated the USGS, CNN reports.

"Although there are no signs of an imminent eruption, the volcano is recharging," say scientists.

St Helens is situated in Washington State, 95 miles south of Seattle and 55 miles away from Portland. The place has witnessed the earthquakes measured at a magnitude of 0.5 to 1.3, which cannot be felt on the surface. But the magnitude is not a matter of concern for scientists; it is the frequency that they are concerned about.

According to the USGS, there was a similar occurrence in the 1990s as well as in 2013 and 2014. The most destructive one was in 18 May, 1980, leaving 57 people dead and igniting forest fires. It also caused floods in some parts of the US due to melting of snow from the mountain tops.