Me neither....But lookee here...now the rocks are probably going up, not coming down....
PS....How are you doing? Looking foward to Halloween? Time is going so fast, the kids are probably in HS now....<ggg>
Magma Reaches Surface, Lava Dome Growing
POSTED: 5:59 am PDT October 12, 2004
UPDATED: 11:08 am PDT October 12, 2004
kirotv.com
MOUNT ST. HELENS, Wash. -- Officials with the U.S. Geological Survey said magma has reached the surface at Mount St. Helens, and a lava dome is growing in the crater of the volcano.
Thermal imaging showed part of a bulge on the south side of the dome-shaped rock formation had heated to 932 to 1,112 degrees Fahrenheit, scientists said. The surface of that part of the dome also appeared to be broken up.
"What's happened in the last day is the magma is not just pushing up but pushing out. We no longer have just isolated vents. Instead, the whole area is pushing up," U.S. Geological Survey geologist John Pallister said Monday.
Although there's little chance of a large eruption like the May 18, 1980, blast that killed 57 people, scientists said the most likely scenario is a far less spectacular eruption that could spread a few inches of gritty volcanic ash up to 10 miles from the crater. That could happen in days, weeks or months -- or not at all, Pallister said.
Willie Scott, a USGS geologist, said the steam plume within the crater is a constant feature that will be there for days.
Seismic activity remained relatively low early Tuesday. However, along with rising temperatures, scientists have detected an increase in emissions of carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide, another sign that magma is rising.
Scientists planned to fly an unmanned drone over the steaming crater Tuesday to measure gasses. The drone, called the Silver Fox, is five feet long and weighs 22 pounds. It's powered by a model airplane engine.
The mountain in the Cascade Range rumbled back to life Sept. 23, beginning with thousands of tiny earthquakes. Thousands of people were evacuated from areas around the mountain Oct. 2, but the alert level was lowered four days later. |
