October 01, 2004

That 18-year nap.

It's over.

The Mt. St. Helens volcano in Washington State had a small eruption just over an hour ago. More activity is expected.

Mt St Helens erupting
[Photo: KOIN-TV/Portland, OR]

Mt St Helens National Volcanic Monument has a webcam pointed at the mountain here. (Don't be surprised if the server is busy.)

You can find more info about Mt St Helens and other volcanoes in the region at the Cascades Volcano Observatory.

Posted by Magpie at October 1, 2004 02:23 PM | WA News & Trivia | Technorati links |
Comments

Well Magpie

I think to say "it's over" is a bit premature. As I recall those of us who lived in PDX in 1980 saw over 2 months of this kind of activity before the BIG BANG on the 18th of May.

Posted by: Ron In Portland at October 1, 2004 05:21 PM

After re-reading your post magpie I see you were referring to the nap not the activity.
Ron

Posted by: Ron In Portland at October 1, 2004 05:34 PM

i was in portland in 1980, too. when looking at the pictures of today's eruption, i was reminded of how the 1980 activity started with very small eruptions,, but built up to a massive blast within just a few months.

Posted by: Magpie at October 1, 2004 08:14 PM

Even though I wasn't there, I remember the stories about the growing bulge that signaled the coming eruption. Was that before the small releases or did it start growing after the first of them?

One thing about earthquakes and volcanoes, is they probably aren't made worse by global warming, so we can't blame Bush for this problem. Although the hurricanes are certainly fair game.

Posted by: Mary at October 3, 2004 11:55 AM

the bulge in st helens' north side started with the smaller eruptions. the big blast was the release of the pressure that had been building up for months.

Posted by: Magpie at October 5, 2004 02:41 PM