Scientists warn of volcanic unrest at Mount St. Helens

http://msnbc.msn.com/ID/6092368/

Scientists warn of volcanic unrest at Mount St. Helens
One or two small earthquakes a minute

Mount St. Helens' volcanic crater looms large in this scenic view from Johnston Ridge Observatory in Mount St. Helens National Park, Wash.

The Associated Press
Updated: 9:30 p.m. ET Sept. 27, 2004

SEATTLE - Small earthquakes rattled Mount St. Helens at the rate of one or two a minute Monday, and seismologists were working to determine the significance of some of the most intense seismic activity in nearly 20 years.

Carbon dioxide and sulfur gas samples collected above the volcano — which erupted to devastating effect in 1980 — will help scientists figure out what is going on beneath the 925-foot-high dome of hardened lava within the mountain’s gaping crater. They want to know whether the quakes are the result of water seeping into the mountain or magma moving under its crater.

In either case, scientists will continue to watch it from the Cascade Volcano Observatory operated by the U.S. Geological Survey in Vancouver, Wash., about 50 miles away.

“But if it’s magma, we’ll be a lot more nervous,” said the observatory’s chief scientist Jeff Winn.

A helicopter was to carry scientists and instruments over the crater Monday afternoon, to assess the gases and ground deformation that would indicate pressure building below the dome.

Measurements of ground movement “will tell us whether there’s any new magma coming into the system,” said Seth Moran, a seismologist at the observatory. That data will not be immediately available.

Swarms of small earthquakes began Thursday and increased in frequency and magnitude until Sunday, when there were more than 10 events with a magnitude of 2 to 2.8. The quakes are at depths less than one mile below the lava dome.

By Monday, the pace was unchanged but the magnitude had lessened, Winn said.

Moran said there was potential for explosions within the crater that could throw rocks as far as the rim.

The USGS issued a notice of volcanic unrest on Sunday, citing “an increased likelihood of a hazardous event.” U.S. Forest Service officials closed hiking trails above the tree line at 4,800 feet on the 8,364-foot mountain, though the visitor’s center and most other trails at the Mount St. Helens National Monument remained open.

St. Helens’ May 18, 1980, eruption killed 57 people, leveled hundreds of square miles of forests and dumped volcanic ash across the Northwest.

In October 1980, the lava dome began building in the crater. The last dome-building eruption was in October 1986, but there have been periodic steam explosions.

INTERACTIVE


• Rising from the ashes
Life returns to Mount St. Helens

Sunday’s activity was the most in a 24-hour period since the 1986 eruption, said survey geologist Willie Scott. Earthquake swarms in 1998 and 2001 did not result in any surface activity.

If there is an explosion, Scott said concern would be focused within the crater and on the upper flanks of the volcano. A five-mile area, primarily north of the volcano, could receive flows of mud and rock debris.

On Monday, a helicopter lowered a geophysicist onto the lava dome to replace a failed instrument used to measure tiny movements that indicate whether the dome is swelling, Winn said.

While the chopper was near the dome, the pilot was in radio contact with Bobbie Myers, another geophysicist who during the 1980 blast learned to detect subtle changes in seismic monitors.

“She’s known to be able to predict explosive events up to a couple of minutes ahead of time,” Winn said.

© 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed

 

If it blows before the election, it'll be blamed on a terrorist attack....and the sheeple will believe it!

 

Four hurricanes and an earthquake... and now this. The apocolypse really is coming.

 

bring on the apocalypse!!!!

 

meh, when it blew massivley before less than 60 people were killed. this time if it blows it won't be nealry as large.

 

Let's not forget that we almost got nailed by an asteroid, too.

 

Personally, I think it'd be kind of neat if the thing blew again. This time they're being smarter about it, and closing all the trails so it's unlikely that many people--if anyone--will get killed and much scientific data will be gained.

 

According to the following site, there was some increased activity at noon today:

http://www.pnsn.org/NEWS/PRESS_RELEASES/MSH_09_2004.html

 

fun times.

can haarp make stuff like this happen?

 

I don't think HAARP is capable of inducing seismic and/or volcanic activity, though it is certainly capable of altering the weather, among other things.

 

It is possible to make earthquakes with the assistance of a tactical subterranean nuclear devide

 

Yes, I know that. But we were talking about HAARP.

 

is there any way of knowing if a tactical subterranean nuclear device has been used to cause problems with mt. st. helens?

and can the haarp technology that's available right now make a hurricane?

 

what is haarp?

 

http://www.2012.com.au/HAARP.html

 

and if you use torrents, there's a couple of downloadables about haarp here: http://conspiracy.hopto.org:6969/index.html?search=haarp

 

HOLY CRAP!!!!
some ppl gona die...... i blame bush he pissed god off with the war thats what with the hurricanes and now a volcano a fucking valcano i mean no way in hell is this happenin by its self this is like a bible disaster!!!!!!!!!!

 

A new stack of steam rose today, thought you guys would like to hear about it. I heard one side of the mountain already evacuated.

 

I live in Portland, so you know I damn well hope nothing comes of it. When it happened in 1980 Portland got covered with ash!

 

I wouldn't get too worked up about it; if God really wanted to punish us, that asteroid wouldn't have missed us.