Is Mount St. Helens Ready to Erupt Again?

[enigma]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6092368/

MOUNT ST. HELENS, Wash. - The flurry of earthquakes at Mount St. Helens intensified further Thursday, and one scientist put the chance of a small eruption happening in the next few days at 70 percent.

Interesting.

 

[Janus]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6092368/



Interesting.

A little more than just "interesting" to those of us who live near the mountain.

 

[Locrian]

I've been hearing this, but the description I heard suggested it wasn't going to be a big, big one.

Has anyone heard any good specifics?

 

[Integral]

A little more than just "interesting" to those of us who live near the mountain.

I hear that the information center, which is 5 mi (~ 8km) from the crater is the busiest that it has been in years.

Hummm... Let me think about this...

She's going to blow! Let's go stand in front of it!

Me, I live a comfortable 200mi away, I think I'll watch it on TV!

Edit:From what I saw last night, the 1000' lava dome in the crater has moved 2" (5cm) in the last day or so, there is a nearly continuous Richter 3 earthquake underway. Yeah, they say it is going to be small... What is small, when it comes to volcanic eruptions?

 

[Chrono]

I've been hearing this, but the description I heard suggested it wasn't going to be a big, big one.

That's what I've heard also. That it won't be near as violent as before.

 

[Integral]

It erupted earlier this morning, a pretty good spew of steam an ash, heading to the south west, perhaps we will get some here.

 

[Kerrie]

Just 55 miles away from the mountain myself and it is a bit exciting, but not devastating like the 1980 eruption.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

She's going to blow! Let's go stand in front of it!

No kidding. And many volcanologists have either been killed or had very close calls. I listened to one guy describe his experience in which about six other scientists died. It was like something out of your worst nightmare.

 

[Chrono]

It erupted earlier this morning, a pretty good spew of steam an ash, heading to the south west, perhaps we will get some here.

Nothing very violent, I'm sure.

 

[Janus]

Just a quick update. The Earthquakes, which had subsided after the burst, picked up again earlier this evening.

 

[Kerrie]

as of saturday p.m.-more earthquakes and evacuations for thousands! amazing...interesting to be a part of this!

 

[Moonbear]

Apparently after the second small eruption today of ash and gasses, the tremors intensified, so they're thinking it's going to be much bigger than just these burps.

Where are the closest homes in relation to the mountain? I would think after the 1980 eruption that people would not want to live quite so close to an active volcano.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Today scientists detected volcanic tremors which indicate the flow of lava underneath the dome. There was a steam release and Hydrogen sulfide gas was detected [by nose]. A level 3 alert was issued - the highest level - which indicates that not only is an eruption is imminent, danger to life and property also exists. When asked how large of an eruption we may see, experts indicated that on a scale of 0-5, with the eruption yesterday being a 0, and the one in 1980 being a 5, we may see a 3; potentially greater. So this is getting quite serious.

 

[Tom McCurdy]

Recent Updates:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=519&ncid=716&e=1&u=/ap/20041003/ap_on_re_us/mount_st__helens

hmm
does anyone know where we can see the first blast on video?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Do you mean from 1980?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Plenty of info available...
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/09/27/tech/main645674.shtml

 

[Tom McCurdy]

I meant from the recent one but 1980 would be nice also

 

[Ivan Seeking]

It looks like you may have missed my last post. They have a nice page set up for this.

 

[Kerrie]

Today scientists detected volcanic tremors which indicate the flow of lava underneath the dome. There was a steam release and Hydrogen sulfide gas was detected [by nose]. A level 3 alert was issued - the highest level - which indicates that not only is an eruption is imminent, danger to life and property also exists. When asked how large of an eruption we may see, experts indicated that on a scale of 0-5, with the eruption yesterday being a 0, and the one in 1980 being a 5, we may see a 3; potentially greater. So this is getting quite serious.

getting serious yes, and interesting...the closest town to st helens is 30 miles away...the biggest problem i think that is a threat is the ashfall...

 

[Moonbear]

I remember the news footage from 1980, seeing ash covering everything the way snow would. Volcanoes seemed even more exciting when I was a kid than they do now, but then I think everything did...the world seemed so much more dramatic even though it's really the same (or maybe it was the way they showed the news).

 

[Kerrie]

what is interesting is, when the public was evacuated from the observatory just 4 miles away, they acted like they were being inconvieneced because they had to leave (according to the what i saw on the news)...i guess some people have no clue how powerful nature is...

 

[Andre]

http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/volcanocams/msh/ it is. Just about life, the Volcano cam.

 

[Andre]

Looking at the 09.44 picture (20 min later).

http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/volcanocams/msh/

Something seems to be going on over there for sure.

 

[Kerrie]

apparently it is just mostly steam due to the glacier coming in contact with a mass of magma...this isn't the big one yet...

 

[chroot]

I wish I were there. I'd probably be one of the tourists who wouldn't leave voluntarily. Damn my scientific curiosity!

- Warren

 

[Integral]

I wish I were there. I'd probably be one of the tourists who wouldn't leave voluntarily. Damn my scientific curiosity!

- Warren

And I was just going to make a comment about Darwin award candiates!

 

[chroot]

Then let's not mention the thing I did that time with the garden hose... (just kidding)[/size] In all honesty, I would find it difficult to pull myself away, but would probably wet myself and flee once I saw an indication that the situation was more dire than just a USGS warning or a plume of steam.

It's a good thing I'm not a volcanologist...

- Warren

 

[Kerrie]

the lates-st helens is gearing up for a real explosion...all of these puffs of ash and steam are most just cracks in the crater opening up and the glacier inside the crater is coming in contact with the hot inside. it truly is exciting to be witnessing this...

 

[Ivan Seeking]

USGS: We should see magma soon.

 

[Chrono]

I just heard that it was quieting down from my geology professor. Who knows what's going to happen.