Earthquake Didn't Immediately Precede Washington Mudslide, USGS Says

An earthquake did not immediately precede the deadly mudslide in Oso, Washington on March 22, the U.S. Geological Survey says.

Local officials in Snohomish County, where the landslide occurred, had claimed that a small 1.1-magnitude earthquake about two weeks prior to the landslide might have contributed to the event, which has killed at least 16 people

USGS is not contradicting that report, according to a press release sent to Mashable, but it is simply stating there were no seismic events "around the time of the landslide."

"Seismograph readings show no indication of an earthquake in association with the landslide," USGS says in the statement. The agency is tasked with monitoring earthquakes as well as studying landslides, which are also known as mudslides, among other duties. According to USGS, the seismograph readings from the University of Washington's Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, which is operated in conjunction with USGS, showed two wave signals Read more...