Posted on 09/24/2004 12:30:39 AM PDT by dan_s
Submitted at 6:00 pm PDT, September 23, 2004--
Volcanoes in the Cascade Range are all at normal levels of background seismicity.
Other volcanoes include,Mount Baker, Glacier Peak, Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, and Mount St. Helens in Washington State; Mount Hood, Mount Jefferson, Three Sisters, Newberry, and Crater Lake, in Oregon; and Medicine Lake, Mount Shasta, and Lassen Peak in northern California.
USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory, the Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network at the University of Washington, and the USGS Northern California Seismic Network and Volcano Hazards Team in Menlo Park, California, monitor the major volcanoes in the Cascade Range of northern California, Oregon, and Washington.
Since about 2 am PDT on the morning of 09/23 an earthquake swam has been occurring at Mount St. Helens. Through 5 P.M. PDT about 200 small (less than magnitude 1) earthquakes have been recorded at MSH. 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 cause of such shallow swarms is uncertain, but may reflect increased ground water levels with the onset of autumn rain. Any eruption is unlikely to occur without significant additional precursory activity.
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 WORLD WIDE WEB at URL: http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/MSH/CurrentActivity (CVO Menu - Monthly Summaries) and http://www.pnsn.org/HELENS/welcome.html (University of Washington - Seismic Updates)
Thanks.
A volcano is going to blow within weeks,maybe days. Trust me, I know many secrets.
It's Bush's fault. ;>)
When Mount St. Helens erupted, Jimmy Carter wanted to put it out. He wanted bombers to fly over the volcano and drop money. He was convinced that if enough money was dropped, it would put out the volcano.
Then it would be known as the MAGMA CARTER.:)
If they through Osama Bin Ladin into the crater, would it be MAGMA CUM LADIN?
Not bad but I liked the play on MAGNA CHARTER better.
10:00 AM, PDT
Since about 2 am PDT on the morning of 09/23 an earthquake swarm has been occurring at Mount St. Helens. Through 5 P.M. PDT on 09/23 about 200 small (less than magnitude 1) earthquakes have been located at MSH, 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 MSH, but a swarm with this many earthquakes has not been recorded for several years, most recently on November 3-4, 2001. The cause of such shallow swarms is uncertain, but may reflect increased ground water levels with the onset of autumn rain. The probability of small steam explosions that hurl rocks a few hundred meters (yards) may also be increased during periods with increased shallow earthquakes.
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.
Bump.
John Edwards - Sue me Cum Laud
Perhaps he just wanted to revoke the Magma Crater?
Thanks for the great picture...
I watched it blow up in 1980...
...even though I was just finishing Kindergarten at the time, I can still remember it like it was yesterday. We lived about 30 miles south of the mountain....about 5 miles north of Camas.
...It was quite a sight to watch....the ash mushroom just kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger
...the mud flows that where created when the side of the mountain fell into Spirit Lake where almost as amazing as the explosion itself...canyons where created from the mud flows with layers of different sized rock (looks like a scale model grand canyon only bluish-gray colored) in about 7 days...nice view of this in the picture you posted...
Your welcome Sir.
Interesting. Let me know if she's about to pop.
What's its usual cycle times betweem eruptions?
Most volcanoes are relatively regular, and the earlier blast did nothing to prevent future ones.....
Register the graph on eBay for a MAGMA BARTER ...
What's its usual cycle times betweem eruptions?
When it began to make noise in 1980 it had been quiet for 150 years.
The experts monitoring Mount Saint Helens say the swarms of small earthquakes in the crater of the volcano could be caused by steam explosions. A statement from the U.S. Geological Survey at Vancouver and the University of Washington seismology network in Seattle says rain flowing down to the hot rocks can result in explosions that hurl rocks hundreds of yards. The statement says there is no evidence of a new intrusion of magma. But state seismologist Tony Qamar says that also could explain the quakes. He says it's unlikely there is any hazard to anyone outside the crater.
http://www.kvewtv.com/index.php?sect_rank=1&story_id=182599
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