Wednesday, September 29, 2004
Scientists Find Mount St. Helens Movement
The lava dome in Mount St. Helens' crater apparently is growing, possibly a new sign of an impending eruption, but a major explosion doesn't seem likely, a top volcano scientist said Wednesday.
"There seems to be some movement in the lava dome," said Jeff Wynn, chief scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey's Cascade Volcano Observatory in Vancouver, Wash., about 50 miles south of the mountain.
My first experience with Mt. St. Helens was when my grandmother brought me back a pickle jar full of ash from the eruptions in 1980 after she had visited the Pacific Northeast. I still have that jar of ash with my rock collection, and have actually used it for a research project to study the weathering of Mt. St. Helens ash over a 15 year period (approximately) while I was still in college. I have some great SEM photographs of the ash from that experience.
Here is a link to the Mt. St. Helens VolcanoCam so you can check out what is happening up there also.
Story from Yahoo - Science AP.
[UPDATE]
Seems that Mt. St. Helens has been rumbling even more today, with quakes ranging in the 2.0 - 2.5 magnitude coming around four times a minute. The USGS has also raised the mountain's eruption advisory from a level 2 to a level 3 out of a possible total of 4.
"There seems to be some movement in the lava dome," said Jeff Wynn, chief scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey's Cascade Volcano Observatory in Vancouver, Wash., about 50 miles south of the mountain.
My first experience with Mt. St. Helens was when my grandmother brought me back a pickle jar full of ash from the eruptions in 1980 after she had visited the Pacific Northeast. I still have that jar of ash with my rock collection, and have actually used it for a research project to study the weathering of Mt. St. Helens ash over a 15 year period (approximately) while I was still in college. I have some great SEM photographs of the ash from that experience.
Here is a link to the Mt. St. Helens VolcanoCam so you can check out what is happening up there also.
Story from Yahoo - Science AP.
[UPDATE]
Seems that Mt. St. Helens has been rumbling even more today, with quakes ranging in the 2.0 - 2.5 magnitude coming around four times a minute. The USGS has also raised the mountain's eruption advisory from a level 2 to a level 3 out of a possible total of 4.
Montserrat volcano: Has it gone quiet?
The Soufrière Hills Volcano on the Island of Montserrat has been relatively quiet since the last major eruption in July 2003.
This may have lulled the local residents into a false sense of security.
An independent Scientific Advisory Committee (Sac) will meet on Montserrat this week to discuss the status of the volcano.
I remember when the news of this eruption broke, and the tragedy of it. It would be nice for the residents of the tiny island to be able to live with less fear of an impending eruption.
Story from BBC.
This may have lulled the local residents into a false sense of security.
An independent Scientific Advisory Committee (Sac) will meet on Montserrat this week to discuss the status of the volcano.
I remember when the news of this eruption broke, and the tragedy of it. It would be nice for the residents of the tiny island to be able to live with less fear of an impending eruption.
Story from BBC.
SpaceShipOne Succeeds in Trailblazing First Shot at $10 Million X Prize
In a mission that could herald a new era of space tourism, a privately built, three-person rocket ship flew to space and back today. The event was the first of two flights scheduled to capture the $10 million Ansari X Prize.
The mission had tense moments as the craft appeared to make an unscripted roll near the top of its flight.
SpaceShip One reached an altitude of over 338,000 feet, exceeding the altitude of 330,000 feet needed to qualify for the Ansari X Prize.
Story from Space.com.
The mission had tense moments as the craft appeared to make an unscripted roll near the top of its flight.
SpaceShip One reached an altitude of over 338,000 feet, exceeding the altitude of 330,000 feet needed to qualify for the Ansari X Prize.
Story from Space.com.
