Posted on 09/24/2004 8:19:16 PM PDT by djf
Seventeen measurable quakes on the mountain in the last 24 hours. Usually no biggie, but ya never know...
http://www.pnsn.org/WEBICORDER/GREEN/SEP_EHZ_UW.2004092500.html
http://www.geophys.washington.edu/recenteqs/Maps/123-46.html
Must be Bush's fault!!!
It's Bush again. And Rove. Just like with the hurricanes.
Gosh darn it, you beat me to that post! ;) LOL
Gearing up for the 25th Anniversary eruption?
Moveon.org is blaming him for the hurricanes...
Maybe...
I always figure I'm safe if Rainier goes EXCEPT...
driving near Shasta in California, you can in places see boulders thrown out from one of the last go rounds. Fifty miles from the mountain.
Mebbe the admin wants to del this... I looked for a thread but didn't see one.
Read the other thread last night and was wondering how things were going....Keep us posted.
Have you ever driven 395 up the backside from SoCal to Reno? Huge rocks and lava fields all along the road. Spooky!
Mount St. Helens Swarm Activity
Special information statement of Sep 24, 2004 10am PDT
U.S. Geological Survey Cascades Volcano Observatory, Vancouver, Washington
University of Washington Dept. of Earth and Space Sciences, Seattle, Washington
Since about 2 am PDT on the morning of 09/23 an earthquake swarm has been occurring at MSH. Through 5 P.M. PDT about 200 small (less than magnitude 1) earthquakes have been located at Mount St. Helens and many smaller events have also been recorded through this morning. The earthquakes are occurring at shallow depths (less than 1 kilometer, or 1/2 mile) mostly under the lava dome that formed between 1980 and 1986. Such earthquakes are common at St. Helens, but a swarm with this many earthquakes has not been recorded for several years, most recently on November 3-4, 2001. The probability of small landslides and debris flows in the crater may be enhanced during these periods. Such events could affect areas several kilometers (miles) north of the crater on the Pumice Plain. The probability of small steam explosions that hurl rocks a few hundred meters (yards) may also be increased during periods with increased shallow earthquakes. The cause of such shallow swarms is uncertain, but may reflect increased ground water levels with the onset of autumn rain.
Prior to the 2001 swarm, the last period of increased earthquake activity at Mount St. Helens occurred in the spring and summer of 1998 when hundreds of earthquakes per month, most smaller than M=2, were detected at depths as great as 9 kilometers (6 miles). An intrusion of magma, or molten rock, deep under the volcano and resulting increased gas pressure in the conduit that leads to the lava dome likely caused this increase in earthquakes. The current swarm is different in that the events are typically much smaller and shallower. We see no evidence that an intrusion of magma similar to that of 1998 is underway. We continue to monitor the situation closely and will issue additional Updates as warranted.
Daily updates of earthquake data and other information can be found on the WEB at URL: http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/MSH/CurrentActivity
Oooh, nice! That's stuning!
I have been reading lately about some kind of special deep earthquake cycle that effects Washington state about every 14 months, which seems to be quite pronounced this time around.
They have GPS setups than can track relative ground shifts in the half-centimeter range. The central part of Puget Sound (I mean the land immediately to the east) is arcing westward at something like a centimeter a year.
The USA is going to need to build hundreds of new 'domestic' gas/oil refineries.....
/sarcasm
Years ago we camped at a place near the St. Helens Visitors center (the outer one)called Seaqest. We drove in to the visitor's center that was just below the main peak, or I should say what was left of it. They had just opened the inner visitors's center.
We want to go back up for a return visit. Perhaps we waited too long.
Just heard on the local news here in the PNW
Mt. St. Helen's is officially closed to hikers and tourists.
Expecting a water blow which can send boulders flying.
Pic updates once every five minutes. What is really interesting is that this site has been DOWN for a couple of years and was rushed back online about the same time as that swarm of quakes started up!
Someone expecting something perhaps?!?!?!
Dunno.
But I am very happy to report the Toutle river bridge is still there, good thing, as otherwise I would have been IN the Toutle river about two hours ago.
I got a good look at the mountain - everything appears normal, no steam clouds or otherwise.
Now if my luck REALLY holds out, I'll win the lottery and the sweet young thing that took my phone number the other night will call...
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