THE MAIN MT. ST. HELENS NEWS THREAD

[canegrl04]

The deformation is growing at a rate that would fill 1,500 swimming pools an hour.


Magma is moving into the dome at a rate od of 16 million cubic yards a day

[James]

Wow!

[Sanibel]

I suppose an explosive eruption is inevitable now?

[Brent]

Yeah... an eruption has been imminent for 10 days now.

Can we create one thread for everything on Mt. St. Helens?

[GalvestonDuck]

Yeah... an eruption has been imminent for 10 days now.

Can we create one thread for everything on Mt. St. Helens?

Allow me...

(Cool...my first sticky! )

[Brent]

Thank you GD!

[Rainband]

You go girl. The first sticky is always the best

[tomboudreau]

Just found this...so I thought I would share:

Mount St. Helens Gets Hotter, Lets Off More Steam
Volcano's Temperatures Too High For Scientists' Instruments

UPDATED: 6:49 PM EDT October 11, 2004

MOUNT ST. HELENS, Wash. -- Mount St. Helens in Washington state let off some more steam Monday.
And new thermal images reveal that parts of the lava dome in its crater are piping hot -- a sign that magma continues to rise within the volcano.

Scientists aren't sure how close to the surface the magma is. The high temperatures detected Sunday suggest the magma could be right beneath the surface or much farther down, with the heat rising because of steam spewing up from below.

Heat from parts of the lava dome was so high, it exceeded scientists' instruments. Geologist Willie Scott said temperatures in some spots could be as high as 400 to 570 degrees Fahrenheit.

For more than a week, the restless mountain has sent steam, sometimes mixed with ash, venting from an upswelling of rock on the south side of the lava dome.

Activity at Mount St. Helens is expected to ebb and flow. The volcano vented steam for several hours Sunday, and scientists believe it happened after part of the south side of the lava dome in the crater broke off, taking some of a glacier with it.

Seismic activity at the mountain remains relatively low.

[alicia-w]

Website photo shows they got some snow too! You can see a very small steam vent cloud now.

[tronbunny]

Very nice steam vent and it does look like the bulge has gotten bigger.
That rain this weekend was a bummer, couldn't see anything.
http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/volcanocams/msh/

[Cookiely]

Lava flows to surface.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6233897/

[tronbunny]

cool!
has everyone noticed that the steam cloud looks pinkish, especially in the late evenings?

Any one have any "predictions" of whether this will be a limited event and over fairly soon, or if it will remain a fairly active volcano?

I'm hoping it will remain active and become a very hot tourist attraction (pun intended)

[vbhoutex]

What I have noticed today is two distinct times when there were ash and/or lava plumes shooting up amoung the steam. Even appears to me that there could be a little lava flow on the left side of the dome. Anyone else notice this earlier or heard anything about it?

[tronbunny]

I've not been able to check too much today, but the steam vent seems a little quieter this eve (5pm PDT).

[tronbunny]

So the scientists are getting tired of the "excitement"

Mount St. Helens Update, October 14, 2004, 6:15 p.m, PDT

Current status is Volcano Advisory (Alert Level 2); aviation color code ORANGE

Seismic activity remained at a low level today. Today’s visual observations and thermal imaging of the crater were focused on the intensely deforming and uplifting area on the south side of the 1980-86 lava dome and the new lobe of lava in the western part of that area. The area of both the uplift and the new lobe of lava have increased slightly since yesterday. Yesterday’s gas-sensing flight detected low levels of sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide, but no carbon dioxide. Abundant steam continues to rise from the area of lava extrusion to the crater rim, from which it is being dispersed downwind. Measurements taken yesterday of flow-rate and temperature in streams draining the crater showed no significant change from late September values.

Other field work today included a gas-sensing flight (data not yet reduced), downloading GPS data, and servicing GPS stations.

Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), combined with eruption models, show that any ash clouds will drift south-southeastward this evening and southeastward tomorrow morning. Magma continues to be at a very shallow level and is extruding onto the surface and forming a new lobe of the lava dome. Small emissions of steam and ash are possible. Reflection onto steam clouds of incandescence or glow from the hot rock and gases will be visible at night from some locations.

Lava-dome growth is a dynamic process and, as we observed in the mid-1980s, Mount St. Helens and similar volcanoes elsewhere typically go through episodic changes in level of activity over periods of days to weeks, or even months. We expect fluctuations in the level of eruptive activity to continue. Escalation could occur suddenly. Therefore, we continue to monitor the situation closely and will issue additional updates and changes in alert level as warranted.

Under current conditions, small lahars (volcanic debris flows) could be triggered if hot material from the new lava extrusion swiftly melts glacier ice. Such lahars pose negligible hazard below the Sediment Retention Structure (SRS), but could pose a hazard to people working or recreating along the river channel upstream of the SRS. Furthermore, due to weather and stream-flow conditions at this time of year, it is not unusual for rivers draining the volcano to contain high concentrations of sediment that turn the water murky.

There will no longer be daily media briefings at the Headquarters of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. A media briefing will be held tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Castle Lake Viewpoint in the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. However no additional such briefing are planned until conditions warrant them. Beginning tomorrow, we will release only one daily update, at approximately 11 a.m. Tomorrow’s update will contain information regarding media contacts with the Joint Information Center.

[Sanibel]

Lava is being seen on the surface of the bulge that formed on the south side of the crater dome. This surprises me because lava made it to the surface without exploding. Perhaps it will begin a slow filling of the crater and rebuilding of the volcano?


.

[Wnghs2007]

Lava is being seen on the surface of the bulge that formed on the south side of the crater dome. This surprises me because lava made it to the surface without exploding. Perhaps it will begin a slow filling of the crater and rebuilding of the volcano?


.

The Lava dome has been rising pretty rapidly as of late I heard it was like 3 to 5 cubic feet per hour. That is some intense uplift.

[Wnghs2007]

So the scientists are getting tired of the "excitement"

Mount St. Helens Update, October 14, 2004, 6:15 p.m, PDT

Current status is Volcano Advisory (Alert Level 2); aviation color code ORANGE

Seismic activity remained at a low level today. Today’s visual observations and thermal imaging of the crater were focused on the intensely deforming and uplifting area on the south side of the 1980-86 lava dome and the new lobe of lava in the western part of that area. The area of both the uplift and the new lobe of lava have increased slightly since yesterday. Yesterday’s gas-sensing flight detected low levels of sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide, but no carbon dioxide. Abundant steam continues to rise from the area of lava extrusion to the crater rim, from which it is being dispersed downwind. Measurements taken yesterday of flow-rate and temperature in streams draining the crater showed no significant change from late September values.

Other field work today included a gas-sensing flight (data not yet reduced), downloading GPS data, and servicing GPS stations.

Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), combined with eruption models, show that any ash clouds will drift south-southeastward this evening and southeastward tomorrow morning. Magma continues to be at a very shallow level and is extruding onto the surface and forming a new lobe of the lava dome. Small emissions of steam and ash are possible. Reflection onto steam clouds of incandescence or glow from the hot rock and gases will be visible at night from some locations.

Lava-dome growth is a dynamic process and, as we observed in the mid-1980s, Mount St. Helens and similar volcanoes elsewhere typically go through episodic changes in level of activity over periods of days to weeks, or even months. We expect fluctuations in the level of eruptive activity to continue. Escalation could occur suddenly. Therefore, we continue to monitor the situation closely and will issue additional updates and changes in alert level as warranted.

Under current conditions, small lahars (volcanic debris flows) could be triggered if hot material from the new lava extrusion swiftly melts glacier ice. Such lahars pose negligible hazard below the Sediment Retention Structure (SRS), but could pose a hazard to people working or recreating along the river channel upstream of the SRS. Furthermore, due to weather and stream-flow conditions at this time of year, it is not unusual for rivers draining the volcano to contain high concentrations of sediment that turn the water murky.

There will no longer be daily media briefings at the Headquarters of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. A media briefing will be held tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Castle Lake Viewpoint in the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. However no additional such briefing are planned until conditions warrant them. Beginning tomorrow, we will release only one daily update, at approximately 11 a.m. Tomorrow’s update will contain information regarding media contacts with the Joint Information Center.

Yes it would seem that way. They have stoped the briefing so there has not been any for a while. Ok I see where it says every 11 am. Thanks LOL

[tronbunny]

The webcam has been useless for 2 days now, with rain and low clouds.
I can't tell what's going on at all
and with the limited updates just at 11am each day, there's nothing to keep us interested. I guess I'm just gonna have to figure out how on earth I can go see it for myself, one day.

[Wnghs2007]

The webcam has been useless for 2 days now, with rain and low clouds.
I can't tell what's going on at all
and with the limited updates just at 11am each day, there's nothing to keep us interested. I guess I'm just gonna have to figure out how on earth I can go see it for myself, one day.

Well I think that it supposed to clear out sometime soon for the camera I hope.