Cascade Range Current Update |
|
U.S. Geological Survey, Vancouver, Washington
University of Washington, Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network, Seattle, Washington
MOUNT ST. HELENS UPDATE
Current status is Volcano Advisory (Alert Level 2); aviation color code ORANGE: Growth of the new lava dome inside the crater of Mount St. Helens continues, accompanied by low rates of seismicity, low emissions of steam and volcanic gases, and minor production of ash. During such eruptions, changes in the level of activity can occur over days to months. The eruption could intensify suddenly or with little warning and produce explosions that cause hazardous conditions within several miles of the crater and farther downwind. Small lahars could suddenly descend the Toutle River if triggered by heavy rain or by interaction of hot rocks with snow and ice. These lahars pose a negligible hazard below the Sediment Retention Structure (SRS) but could pose a hazard along the river channel upstream.
Potential ash hazards: Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that any ash clouds that rise above the crater rim today would drift southeastward early in the day and eastward later.
Potential ash hazards to aviation: Under current eruptive conditions, small, short-lived explosions may produce ash clouds that exceed 30,000 feet in altitude. Ash from such events can travel 100 miles or more downwind.
Recent observations: Analysis of DomeCam images from the Sugar Bowl camera and GPS data from the west arm of the glacier shows that the northern part of the lava dome continues to move westward. In doing so it is pushing the west glacier, which is thickening, increasing its rate of flow, and becoming more crevassed. This process is similar to what happened to the east glacier over the winter when the dome was growing eastward. Crews are in the field today to reposition GPS spiders, retrieve seismic equipment, and install an additional camera.
U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Washington continue
to monitor the situation closely and will issue additional updates
and changes in alert level as warranted.
For additional information, background, images, and other
graphics:
For seismic information:
For a definition of alert levels:
For a webcam view of the volcano:
Telephone recordings with the latest update on Mount St. Helens
and phone contacts for additional information can be heard by
calling:
OTHER CASCADE VOLCANOES
All other volcanoes in the Cascade Range are all at normal levels
of background seismicity. These include Mount Baker, Glacier
Peak, Mount Rainier, and Mount Adams in Washington State;
Mount Hood, Mount Jefferson, Three Sisters, Newberry, and Crater
Lake, in Oregon; and Medicine Lake, Mount Shasta, and Lassen
Peak in northern California.
USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory, the Pacific Northwest
Seismograph Network at the University of Washington, and the
USGS Northern California Seismic Network and Volcano Hazards
Team in Menlo Park, California, monitor the major volcanoes in the
Cascade Range of northern California, Oregon, and Washington.
|
Return to:
[Cascade Range Current Activity Menu] ...
[Mount St. Helens Current Activity Menu] ...
[Mount St. Helens 2004 Eruption Menu] ...
[News and Current Events Menu] ...
Go to:
[Cascade Range Volcanoes and Volcanics Menu] ...
[Mount St. Helens Menu] ...
Link to:
[USGS Volcano Hazards Program Updates Page (includes Alaska, Hawaii, and Long Valley)] ...
[University of Washington's Pacific Northwest Earthquake Information (current seismicity)]
