The sky opened up and the earth did tremble

Yesterday and last night's rain was noteworthy even to us PNW natives, due to the amount and intensity. No matter how long one has lived in this region, it's a real change after such a dry summer and fall. If the rain wasn't interesting enough, there was an earthquake to talk about. It struck at 9:34 pm and was measured at around 2.6 in magnitude, lasting for several seconds. Evidently it was felt all across the metro area. (I was cat-napping at the time.) The last quake experienced in this immediate area was on January 28th and was a 3.1 in magnitude. (I definitely felt that one where I was at out in Milwaukie.) What's particularly interesting to me is the location of these quakes. Last night's epicenter was supposedly located "near" Southeast 18th and Belmont, while the January 28th event was believed to emanate from a fault line near Laurelhurst Park, (39th & Belmont) which was also the same location as a magnitude 2.7 quake back in June of 2005. There is one other common factor that's interesting to consider. This area is at the base of Mount Tabor, an "extinct" volcanic cinder cone, which stemmed from a network of ancient shield volcanos and lava fields. Just a coincidence? The January quake was said to be "shallow," emanating from 7-9 miles under ground. In any case, this area sure seems active. I wonder what a geologist might say about this. Lastly, it's been quite warm during the night. As of 3:30 am out here in the eastern hinterlands, the rain has subsided and the wind has picked up. The temperature outside The Pavilion is just a hair under 65 degrees. -No, that isn't typical for November.