After hitting a high of more than 1000 measurable quakes, the west seems to be calming down again as can be seen in the much lower 622 quakes on the chart above. Actually, a newer chart has that total below 600.
In the meantime, they've been adding up the numbers and costs of the quakes in the area of Reno, NV, where more than 5000 tremors have occurred since the swarm began. Many upscale homes have been built quite close the the previously unknown fault causing all of the problems and many of those homes have experienced some major cosmetic damage--lots of cracked plaster and loss of paintings and curious that ended up crashing to the floor.
With this region settling down some, the attention now shifts to other locations. The Cascadia Subduction Zone, running along the coasts of Oregon and Washington is apparently showing some movement. Microphones placed on the ocean floor during the cold war are picking up the unmistakable sound of large boulders rolling around and crashing into each other.
In addition, the vocano down in Chile, that hasn't erupted for more than 9000 years, is spouting an enormous cloud of ash and smoke that has drifted all the way across Argentina and out into the Atlantic Ocean. The ashfall in some areas is several feet deep.
Whatever happens in the near future, it is clear that old Mother Earth is a bit jiggly right now.
