St. Helens Quakes Could Lead To 'Hazardous Event'

KOMO 4 Seattle ^ | 9/26/04

[cmsgop]

This is BREAKING NEWS ON KOMO NEWS 4

St. Helens Quakes Could Lead To 'Hazardous Event' September 26, 2004 By KOMO Staff & News Services

Tools Email This Story Printer-friendly Version SEATTLE - Seismologists believe there's an increased likelihood of a "hazardous event" at Mount St. Helens due to recent changes in the mountain's seismic activity.

A notice of volcanic unrest was issued this afternoon by the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Washington.

Hundreds of tiny earthquakes began late last week and slowly declined through yesterday morning. However, the swarm has since changed to include more than 10 larger earthquakes of magnitude 2 to 2.8.

That's the most in a 24-hour period since an eruption on October 1986, which was the last dome-building eruption, in which magma reached the surface and added to the pile of lava on the crater floor.

Some of the earthquakes also suggest the involvement of pressurized fluids, such as water or steam, and perhaps magma.

The quakes were occuring at depths less than one mile below the lava dome formed in the the mountain's crater. Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18th, 1980, and left 57 people dead. It devastated hundreds of square miles around the peak and spewed ash over much of the Northwest. Email This Story | Printer-friendly Version

[cmsgop]

Uh Oh! Lotsa Quakes going on.

[ValerieUSA]

COOL!

[Glak]

damn global warming!

[cmsgop]

Here is the Press Release.http://www.pnsn.org/NEWS/PRESS_RELEASES/MSH_09_2004.html

[CyberAnt]

Yeah, the whole Pacific Rim is very active.

[cmsgop]

Ping

[GreenHornet]

Whole lotta shakin' goin' on!

[cmsgop]

Ping

[ValerieUSA]

[cmsgop]

[SamAdams76]

A Kerry campaign stop?

[Miss Marple]

I hope the people of Washington are keeping an eye on that volcano and making appropriate coningency plans.

Myself, I wouldn't live anywhere near it.

[pointsal]

How many spotted owls will meet their maker when this puppy goes BANG?

[nhoward14]

If this mountain's rockin', don't come a-knockin'?

[megatherium]

Charming picture! Makes me homesick: I was in Portland in 1980 when the big eruption happened. Over the following months, we would often see volcanic plumes coming off the mountain. Impressive and often beautiful.

[cmsgop]

This is the lead off story here in Seattle right now.

[steve86]

Myself, I wouldn't live anywhere near it.

I live 180 miles from Mt. St. Helens, 2,300 miles from the hurricanes. Think I'll stay put!

[umgud]

Hazardous event?

I think I'm really starting to hate people who can't just say what they mean.

[datura]

Here's the prior 12 hour seismograph from Dome Station in the caldera - I'm posting the old one because the current one only has a couple of lines on it.

[cmsgop]

Thanks