Small explosion at St. Helens possible within days | Seattle P-I

[Ediacara]

Small explosion at St. Helens possible within days

By PEGGY ANDERSEN
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS


Karen Ducey / P-I
Geophysicist Mike Lisowski, left, of the USGS Cascades
Volcano Observatory; Pat McChesney, a University of Washington
field engineer; and Gene Iwat- subo, right, a USGS geophysicist,
set up a communications post. Lisowski planted several GPS
devices on the mountain yesterday to measure the move- ment of
the ground. Early tests of gas samples collected above the volcano
by helicopter did not show unusually high levels of carbon dioxide
or sulfur.

A small explosion of rocks, ash and steam could occur within the next few days within the crater of Mount St. Helens, where earthquake activity has been steadily building for nearly a week, scientists said today.

"It could certainly happen today; it might not happen for weeks or months," said seismologist Seth Moran of the U.S. Geological Survey's Cascade Volcano Observatory.

Scientists were keeping a close eye on the 925-foot-tall dome of hardened lava that has grown inside the crater since the May 18, 1980, eruption that blew the top off the mountain.

More at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer

[The Backlash Cometh]

1. Four hurricanes in Florida, an earthquake in California and now,

Mt. St. Helen. Let's see, there's also polar caps melting and something big due to collapse in the Pacific that's suppose to create large tsunamis.

Hmm. hmm. Anyone see four flying horsemen, lately?

[Child_Of_Isis]

2. What did I miss?

What is this about: something big due to collapse in the Pacific that's suppose to create large tsunamis.

[Just Me]

8. Ask Falwell. He apparently has the trademark, copyright and patent,...

,...on,..."REVELATION". *giggle*

,...of course,...he never suspected that he had already sold his soul to hell and damnation,...

[Sabriel]

11. That's a revelation to me!

Blast! Now I owe Falwell money.

[Chico Man]

9. Maybe he is talking about the forthcoming Canary Island mega tsunami

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/08/040815234801.htm
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2001-08/ucl-mtd082301.php

Mega-tsunami to devastate US coastline
A tsunami wave higher than any in recorded history threatens to ravage the US coastline in the aftermath of a volcanic eruption in the Canary Islands, UK and US scientists will report today. Locations on both African and European Atlantic coastlines - including Britain - are also thought to be at risk.
The new research, a collaboration between Dr. Simon Day of the Benfield Greig Hazard Research Centre at UCL and Dr. Steven Ward of the University of California, reveals the extent and size of the mega-tsunami, the consequence of a giant landslide that may be triggered by a future eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano.

Previous research by Simon Day and colleagues predicted that a future eruption would be likely to cause a landslide on the western flank of Cumbre Vieja. A block of rock approximately twice the volume of the Isle of Man would break off, travelling into the sea at a speed of up to 350 kilometres per hour. The disintegration of the rock, this earlier study predicted, would produce a debris avalanche deposit extending 60 kilometres from the island. The energy released by the collapse would be equal to the electricity consumption of the entire United States in half a year.

[The Backlash Cometh]

21. Yeah, dat be the one.

Maybe not EXACTLY the Pacific unless you steer a course through the Panama Canal.

[The Backlash Cometh]

20. I read it on DU a few days ago. Lord I don't even know what

to search for, but I'll give it a try before going to bed.

[barb162]

3. "something big due to collapse in the Pacific"

care to provide a link or more info? I have heard nothing at all about this. About when did you hear this, months ago, last year???

[pfitz59]

4. Sacasm (I think...)

The left-behinders are probably frothing over these occurances. ("The end is near. Must (re-s)elect Bush*!") It's a sign. The liberal coasts are getting hammered!

[barb162]

5. I hope so, there are too many natural disasters lately

[kurtyboy]

7. The Hilina Slump A.K.A. "The Big Crack"

<Snip>
THE HILINA SLUMP A.K.A. "THE BIG CRACK"

Huge chunks of the Hawaiian Islands have been sliding into the Pacific Ocean for hundreds of thousands of years. (SF#101) Geologists classify these slides as either "slumps" or "debris avalanches." Slumps move just a few inches a year but are prone to bigger, jerky adjustments. Debris avalanches are fast cascades of rocks and soil. In Hawaii, both varieties of movement can involve massive blocks of real estate. In the huge Nu'uanu debris slide, stone blocks 6 miles across tumbled 30 miles out to sea. Both slumps and debris slides may create colossal tsunamis. (Tsunamis are miscalled "tidal waves," but they have nothing to do with tides and do not behave like tides or wind-driven waves.)

When large pieces of the Hawaiian Islands slip into the ocean, the entire Pacific Rim is smashed by the resulting tsunamis. In New South Wales, Australia, there is geological evidence that part of this coast was scoured by a Hawaiigenerated tsunami 100,000 years ago. The postulated wave started out about 375-meters (½-mile) (sic) high in Hawaii. By the time is reached Australia, it was about 40 meters high. (SF#85)

Worse waves may be on tap. A 4,760 cubic mile chunk of the Big Island (Hawaii) is breaking away at the rate of 4 inches per year. This is the Hilina Slump, and it is said to be "the most rapidly moving tract of ground on Earth for its size." The Hilina Slump can move much faster. At 4:48 AM, November 29, 1975, a 37-mile-wide section suddenly dropped 11½ feet and slid seaward 26 feet. The result was a magnitude-7.2 quake and a 48-foot-high tsunami. This was a minor of the slump. If the entire 4,760-cubic-mile block decided to break off, it would probably create a magnitude-9 quake and a tsunami 1,000-feet high. All the coast-hugging cities of the Hawaiian Islands would be swept away. And LOOK OUT Australia, Japan, and California.

<snip>

http://www.science-frontiers.com/sf115/sf115p09.htm

Unlikely--but who woulda guessed * would have any chance in this election at this point....?

[sam sarrha]

13. Actually when the crack .slumps and breaks it becomes a Long Running Land-

slide deep into the ocean causing an EXTREMELY long frequency wave. the long frequency Wave wont just break on the beach.. the massive amount of water behind the wave will drive it inland. i believe that Sacramento will be totally destroyed along with a lot of the central valley..which is around 100' in a lot of areas, the "Wave" will be much bigger than 1000'... it will probably Echo back and destroy what is left of the Big Island.

[starroute]

6. That just a worse-case scenario, not anything immediate

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/09/040928120326.htm

With a strong enough jolt — a 7.6 -magnitude earthquake — the seafloor under Catalina Island could be violently thrust upward, causing a tsunami along the Southern California coast, according to researchers at the University of Southern California.

<snip>

“Although most faults offshore Los Angeles and Orange counties are mostly strike-slip — faults that move side to side — bends in the fault line produce areas where the ground is pushed up during major earthquakes. One of these regions lies directly below Santa Catalina Island.”

“Strike slip faults are not straight," added Jose C. Borrero, assistant research professor in the USC Viterbi School, who worked with co-researcher Costas E. Synloakis, USC professor of civil and environmental engineering, on the study. "Bends in the fault trace produce regions where earthquake stresses cause the sea floor to pop up and generate a tsunami."

[sam sarrha]

15. Faults in the Pacific North West are Subduction faults.. Violent up/down

in excess of 3 G's. When the big one hits Seattle it can be an 8.5 to 9 that will last 15 to 25 minutes. .. how bad will it be.??? every building the size of a the Emporium in Portland, Oregon will be destroyed. Mount Hood, Mt Rainer, mt Baker, Mt Shasta and mt Lassen could erupt.

[progressivebydesign]

27. Comforting.. thank you...

I'll never, ever sleep again (as I live near Seattle). :scared:

[NEOBuckeye]

14. I thought it was the Atlantic?

[The Backlash Cometh]

23. I think you are correct.

However, I thought I remember reading the word "tsunami" in the original article and it just clicked that "tsunamis" specifically refer to tidal waves in the Pacific. That's all the detail I remember from the article.

[Minstrel Boy]

26. There are dangers in both oceans.

In the Atlantic, it's a huge chunk of the Canary Islands that threatens to slide into the water, causing a giant tidal wave.

[GHOSTDANCER]

18. Don't forget the Locusts!!!!!!!!

<>
<http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,10892528%255E30417,00.html>
<http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=scienceNews&storyID=6264103§ion=news>

[LisaL]

10. It will be small?

And they know that how?
:eyes:

[Zero Gravitas]

19. size, number and location of the quakes

give them a rough idea of how much magma is moving and therefore an approximate idea of how big the eruption might be.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

12. The last time St. Helens stirred Jimmy Carter was President

Will history repeat itself?

[Zomby Woof]

22. it had an eruption in 1986 under Reagan too

so no correlation, no repeat... none of that.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

24. Actually in '86 the Democrats regained the Senate

Are you sure about 1986? I remember visiting the area in 1984 plus I climbed to the summit in 1991. I don't think they'd allow people in that close if it was still active.

[sam sarrha]

16. Look over to the right of ST Hellen's. Mt Adams has no top and its bigger

[shraby]

17. There is also the Long Valley

quakes that might be a precursor to a volcano. That's near the Nevada/California border. We just might be living in really interesting times.

[central scrutinizer]

25. URLs for pix and updates

http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/

http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/MSH/framework.html

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

the last one is a webcam pointed into the crater from Johnston Ridge, but the weather often prohibits a good view.

[shrike]

28. Is God mad at us or what?

Just kidding, I don't think the Supreme Being is sending anything.

[VolcanoJen]

29. If Mount St. Helens explodes in volcanic eruption...

... I swear I had nothing to do with it. }(