File under: "I've been through this movie before." Small quake reported at Mount St. Helens
VANCOUVER, Wash. - Steam seeping from a fracture atop the lava dome in Mount St. Helens' crater and the mountain's first noteworthy seismic activity since 2004 have caught scientists' attention this week as signs that something is moving inside it.... Geologist John S. Pallister was flying over the volcano in southwestern Washington on Sunday when he spotted the steam.Just a small ripple in the big news stream, but folks up here in Seattle tend to notice steaming mountains. Posted by Vanderleun at January 17, 2008 12:41 AM | TrackBack"It was interesting enough to take some pictures," said Pallister, a private pilot who works in the hazards section of the volcano observatory.
After landing, he learned that a magnitude-2.9 earthquake had registered on seismographs at an observatory in Vancouver. That was followed by a small tremor that lasted nearly an hour and a half, an unusually long period, punctuated by a second quake of magnitude 2.7 — all in the same period in which he saw the steam.
Tiltmeters also registered alternate ground swelling and deflation near the lava dome, which has been growing in the crater since fall 2004.
Ummm, this sucker goes, ya know much CO2 she'll spew? Fat Albert, could you please save the world and stick your fat ass on that bitch?
Posted by: JD at January 18, 2008 4:40 PMAbout the same as the last eruption, I'd expect. That one was a "worst-case scenario" for the mountain. The locals are more worried about flooding; a lake was created after the last eruption, and since the lake is held back by a natural earthen dam there's a good chance it will break in the next major eruption.
Now if Yellowstone decided to go active, half the country would be utterly screwed. Thankfully, that doesn't seem likely at this time, or any time soon.
Posted by: B. Durbin at January 18, 2008 6:45 PM"It is impossible to speak in such a way that you cannot be misunderstood." -- Karl Popper N.B.: Comments are moderated to combat spam and may not appear immediately. Comments that exceed the obscenity or stupidity limits will be either edited or expunged.