Yakima Earthquakes: Small Rumbles, Big Questions

Is the Yakima Valley at risk of an earthquake? An Aftershock? Are we even in the zone? We’ll take a look at the past and present and what could be ‘shakin’ in Central Washington, below.

The Day The Yakima Mountain Cracked

It was a scary couple of months when Rattlesnake Ridge shifted and formed that massive crack. All eyes from across the Pacific Northwest were watching with bated breath, waiting for the worst to come.

All these years later, the crack is still there, and it is still slowly (very slowly) moving (check out drone footage photos of that below).

Small Rumbles In The Yakima Valley

There have been several small earthquakes coming in at a magnitude of 2.0, with the most recent, according to Earthquakelist.org, being around 4pm on February 12th.

With that size, that low, most people don’t notice. If you’re in your car, you REALLY don’t notice, and many chop that type of activity to the local firing center.

Yakima Earthquake 6 Month History

Scaling back to 6 months ago, Earthquaketrack.com reports only about 15 in the area, all around the 2.0 magnitude.

If you’re fascinated by this (like I am), I recommend checking the Washington State Department of Natural Resources’ website on Earthquakes and Faults.

⬇️⬇️ KEEP SCROLLING TO SEE DRONE PHOTOS OF THE RATTLE SNAKE RIDGE CRACK ⬇️⬇️

It gives a great map of Washington, where the faults are and the “Shaking Hazards” are.

Future Earthquake Concerns For Yakima

Is an Earthquake something you should be worried about? Sure, why not? There are a lot of things to be worried about and have a fear of.

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But should you lose sleep over it? I wouldn’t. Just remember to have some spare water, a sturdy door frame or table to crawl under, and if you lose power, keep that quarter trick handy.