St. Helens is having a major event

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the recent volcanic activity at Mount St. Helens, including potential eruptions, seismic activity, and personal observations related to the volcano's behavior. Participants share their feelings, experiences, and sources of information regarding the situation, reflecting on both the natural phenomena and their implications.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express concern about a possible major eruption at Mount St. Helens, noting increased seismic activity.
  • Others share personal anecdotes about sensing an eruption was imminent based on recent earthquake activity.
  • A participant mentions the USGS and other monitoring organizations are tracking the situation and will provide updates as necessary.
  • There are humorous exchanges about the idea that animals, specifically chickens, may predict volcanic activity, with some participants joking about their own predictive abilities.
  • Technical details are provided regarding the current status of the volcano, including the growth of a new lava dome and the potential hazards associated with eruptions.
  • Participants share links to resources and images related to the volcano's activity and monitoring efforts.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally express concern and curiosity about the volcanic activity, but there is no consensus on the implications or predictions regarding the eruption. Multiple viewpoints and interpretations of the situation are present, reflecting a mix of personal experiences and technical observations.

Contextual Notes

There are limitations in the discussion regarding the uncertainty of volcanic behavior, the interpretation of seismic data, and the potential for sudden changes in activity levels. Participants rely on various sources of information, which may have differing interpretations of the current situation.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to those following geological events, individuals living near volcanic areas, and anyone curious about the interplay between natural phenomena and human perception.

Ivan Seeking
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Possibly a major eruption.
 
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That's so freaky! I just told my husband that I had a feeling Mt St Helens was going to go this weekend! I have been watching the earthquakes on the site that monitors activity, and last week was very active.
 
As scary as these eruptions are, there is something very majestic and humbling about them. I can only imagine what it feels like to live near one.
And now we wait... weeks? months?
 
http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/mshnvm/

http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/recreation/current-conditions/special.shtml

The USGS/Cascades Volcano Observatory, in Vancouver, Washington and the University of Washington Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network continue to monitor the situation closely and will issue additional updates and changes in alert level as warranted.

http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/volcanocams/msh/ - This is a static image of Mount St. Helens, taken from the Johnston Ridge Observatory. The Observatory and VolcanoCam are located at an elevation of approximately 4,500 feet, about five miles from the volcano. Updated every 5 minutes, but useful only in daylight and clear weather.
 
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It seems that the chickens [and Kerrie :biggrin:] knew that the eruption was coming before the USGS. According to a person interviewed on the news, his chickens gave him about 15 minutes warning. Interesting if true.
 
Does this mean we should not count our Kerries befor there hatched?
 
I had been monitoringhttp://www.pnsn.org/recenteqs/latest.htm website all last week, and I had noticed the activity had increased more frequent last Friday. This past weekend, I swore up and down to my husband and daughter that I had a feeling something was going to happen within the week with Mt St Helens. That was all I had mentioned, and then the mountain ended up burping ash! Some would just call me extremely logical in my guess :wink:
 
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I think Kerrie is secretly taking her cues from the chickens and then taking all of the credit. :biggrin:
 
:smile: Yea, me and the hens are pretty tight... :biggrin:
 
  • #10
I have just invented a" Kerrieometer", all i need is a kerrie to finish
my invention. How much ash is being pumped out of Mt st helens,
is it going to be problematic?
 
  • #12
We missed the last one and barely caught this one. Just before it goes dark you can see the eruption begin. At least it happened this time before sunset.
 
  • #14
Lots of earthquakes around 3.0...lava dome has collapsed, she's waking again!
 
  • #15
Well I hope she wakes in a good mood.
 
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  • #16
hypatia said:
Well I hope she wakes in a good mood.
The Mt St Helens cam has some great views today
 
  • #17
U.S. Geological Survey, Vancouver, Washington
University of Washington, Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network, Seattle, WA

Tuesday, August 2, 2005 10:40 a.m. PDT (1740 UTC)

MOUNT ST. HELENS UPDATE

Current status is Volcano Advisory (Alert Level 2); aviation color code ORANGE: Growth of the new lava dome inside the crater of Mount St. Helens continues, accompanied by low rates of seismicity, low emissions of steam and volcanic gases, and minor production of ash. During such eruptions, changes in the level of activity can occur over days to months. The eruption could intensify suddenly or with little warning and produce explosions that cause hazardous conditions within several miles of the crater and farther downwind. Small lahars could suddenly descend the Toutle River if triggered by heavy rain or by interaction of hot rocks with snow and ice. These lahars pose a negligible hazard below the Sediment Retention Structure (SRS) but could pose a hazard along the river channel upstream.

Recent observations: The active part of the new lava dome continues to crumble and produce rockfalls and occasional ash clouds that rise above the crater rim. Crews plan to be in the field on Thursday and possibly Friday of this week to make a number of observations, to repair our voice radio-communications system, and to install a sensitive tiltmeter in a shallow borehole in the old lava dome. The latter is aimed at improving our understanding of the process of lava-dome extrusion.

Catch some cool shots at - http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/MSH/Images/MSH04/framework.html

and live webcam -
http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/volcanocams/msh/
 
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