90 million, 27% of Americans are immune!
Image Credit: R Shane McGary, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Storm of small Mt. Rainier earthquakes occurred Feb. 17-18
On February 17, 2021 at 3:13 p.m. local time, a small swarm of earthquakes began at Mount Rainier. Activity associated with the swarm ended about five hours later (around 8:00 p.m. local time), although a single earthquake occurred the morning of February 18.
In total, nearly 20 earthquakes were located by the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network (PNSN). The maximum magnitude was a M2.5 and depths were between 0 to 1 km (0.6 mi) below sea level, according to PNSN.
Most of the earthquakes were centered beneath a point southwest of the summit crater about halfway to Point Success, an area that has seen many earthquakes since 2010.
There have been no reports that the earthquakes were felt at the surface.
Earthquakes are part of the background activity at Mount Rainier, and swarms of this number of earthquakes typically occur once or twice a year. The most notable swarm occurred between September 20 and September 22, 2009, when over 1000 earthquakes were detected.
Since the early 1980s, Mount Rainier seismicity has been monitored by PNSN and the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO) via a network of seismic stations located within 20 km (12 mi) of Mount Rainier, including new stations installed late last year to help detect lahars. From the data, scientists believe that earthquakes at Mount Rainier occur by hydrothermal fluids moving along thus “lubricating” existing faults within basement rock underlying the volcano.
View of Rainier’s volcanic plumbing
The above image was made by measuring how the ground conducts or resists electricity in a study co-authored by geophysicist Phil Wannamaker of the University of Utah Energy & Geoscience Institute. Resistivity to electric current is a close indicator of rock or magma temperature as when molten, magma has very low resistance. It also confusingly is indicative of water or wet ground, as ground water also has low resistance.
The image shows the underground plumbing system that provides molten and partly molten rock to the magma chamber beneath the Mount Rainier volcano in Washington state. The scale at left is miles depth. The scale at bottom is miles from the Pacific Coast.
The Juan de Fuca plate of the Pacific seafloor crust and upper mantle is shown in blue on the left half of the image as it dives at about two inches per year eastward beneath us.
The reddish orange and yellow colors represent molten and partly molten rock forming atop the Juan de Fuca plate or “slab.” The image shows the rock begins to melt about 50 miles beneath Mount Rainier, the red triangle at top. Some is pulled downward and eastward as the slab keeps diving, but other melts move upward to the orange “birdhead” magma chamber shown under but west of Mount Rainier.
The line of sensors used to make this image were placed north of the 14,410-foot peak, so the image may be showing a lobe of the magma chamber that extends northwest of the mountain.
Small red ovals and clumps of them on the left half of the page are the hypocenters of earthquakes shown at their depth and distance from the coast.
The image doesn’t reveal the plumbing tying Mount Rainier to the magma chamber 5 miles below it.
Editor: Though the survey and image were done seven years ago, there is no indication the magma situation beneath the mountain has changed significantly since then.
Student Mars
Challenge still open
There’s still time to join the Perseverance adventure with 1,056,301 students worldwide!
In honor of a successful Perseverance Mars landing, we’re rolling out two additional weeks of the Mission to Mars Student Challenge! These bonus weeks can be done any time and even extended over a longer period of time. After all, the Perseverance rover mission is planned to last more than two Earth years. Register today to receive guided education plans with resources from NASA to engage students in the Perseverance rover mission on Mars!
NASA is inviting schools, classrooms, educational organizations, homeschools, and families to register their students. Students under 18 should be registered by a teacher or guardian. Educators can register once on behalf of their entire classroom or organization.
Is there still time to register?
Yes! All the dates for each of the education plans are completely flexible. Education plans can be done in part or in full and in any order as schedules allow. A link to the web version of the newsletters sent out during each week of the challenge is available in the education plans section below.
COVID Variants
Variant B.1.1.7 found in UK:
United Kingdom (England) identified a variant called B.1.1.7 with a large number of mutations in the fall of 2020.
This variant spreads more easily and quickly than other variants. In January 2021, experts in the UK reported that this variant may be associated with an increased risk of death compared to other variant viruses. Detected in the US at the end of December 2020.
Variant B.1.351 found in South Africa. Reported in the US at the end of January 2021.
Variant P.1 found in Brazil. Detected in the US at the end of January 2021.
Variant CAL.20C found in California. By Jan. 15, represented more than 40% of cases in California.
So far, studies suggest that antibodies generated through vaccination with currently authorized vaccines recognize these variants. This is being closely investigated and more studies are underway.
Bottom line: Michelle Walensky, new CDC Director, on Feb. 19, “We don’t know yet the efficacy of our vaccines against the new variants.”
However, a top U.S. health official said last week, “In areas where the variants are prevalent, as far as we know, no person given the new vaccines has died or required hospital care for COVID.” So current vaccines thus far appear to handle the variants.
One dangerous but necessary kind of study has been started in England where paid vaccinated volunteers are intentionally inoculated with the Variant B.1.1.7 to see how various vaccines protect against it.
The more people infected, the more variants occur, so the defense against variants is to quickly achieve immunity of nearly all people against the virus.
Our only way to proactively increase immunity is by increasing vaccinations.
Get vaccinated as soon as you are eligible!
Editor Dave: I got my vaccination last Thursday- no after-effects!
Info: shpr.fyi/covidchgs
Practical Nursing
program
A new four-quarter Practical Nursing program launched at Yakima Valley College this winter term, taking on 10 students in its first cohort to contribute to the high-demand profession.
“PNs provide direct hands-on patient care including monitoring patients’ health, measuring blood pressure and other vitals, administering basic patient care, providing for the basic comfort of patients, discussing the patients’ care, documenting patient concerns, and charting patient care service,” the college said in a statement Friday.
These nurses work under the guidance of registered nurses, nurse practitioners and doctors in hospitals, residential care facilities and other health care settings.
The new program, which began this winter quarter, is the only PN program on the eastern side of the state. There are six statewide, it said.
The region has a critical need for these professionals, the announcement stated. It pointed to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics that anticipate PN positions to grow by 9% from 2019-29. The median annual income for a PN is $47,480, it said.
The new YVC program has prerequisites in biology, math, English and psychology, and requires a GPA of 2.0 in core courses. The college pitches the program as a stepping stone to a career as a practical nurse, or toward Licensed Practical Nurse, Registered Nurse or Bachelor’s in Science Nursing credentials.
The program will be expanded to serve 20 students in winter quarter of 2022.
For more information about YVC’s new PN program call 509-574-4902 or email nursing@yvcc.edu.
Info: shpr.fyi/practnurs
A note about the thermometer above: The number of Infection & Recovery I’ve used is just the actual number known and reported by CDC.
However, CDC, Dr. Fauci and others have long suspected and reported that very many additional, perhaps 30% of the U.S. population have been infected and recovered without symptoms, without even knowing they were sick or had COVID. These are not counted.
I have added this 30% of us, which is about 100 million additional Americans, who are probably immune as a lightly colored green section.
This would bring our total American immunity to around 58%- getting close to the 70% herd immunity goal!
This may be the reason that the daily number of new infections has plummeted so drastically and wonderfully.
WDFW to capture &
test entire Tieton
bighorn sheep herd
“We’re trying a ‘test and remove’ process that has been successful in other western states.”
The goal is to test and collar as many of the herd’s 100 adult sheep as possible.
Dave Bunting