Something Stirring at Mount Saint Helens - 2/14/1011

reply to post by westcoast


Thought I'd just share. I was in Coeur d' Alene when she blew on May 16, 1980. How to tell the story of living in the fallout of a major vocanic eruption. It totally changes your life. The whole world is gray and gritty. You can't breath deeply and your eyes are like sandpaper. It is so surreal. Like living through war in your own neighborhood. The ash layer was evident and forever.

Nuff said. I hear the recent solar flare activity will cause earth movement. Although I check out USGS compulsivly, I question the validity of the posted information. Incidents appear and dissappear between my monitoring. Is nothing in main stream media believable? Thank you ATS for just being here. I'm not crazy - they are.

Originally posted by Ghostcat
reply to post by westcoast

 

Thought I'd just share. I was in Coeur d' Alene when she blew on May 16, 1980. How to tell the story of living in the fallout of a major vocanic eruption. It totally changes your life. The whole world is gray and gritty. You can't breath deeply and your eyes are like sandpaper. It is so surreal. Like living through war in your own neighborhood. The ash layer was evident and forever.

Nuff said. I hear the recent solar flare activity will cause earth movement. Although I check out USGS compulsivly, I question the validity of the posted information. Incidents appear and dissappear between my monitoring. Is nothing in main stream media believable? Thank you ATS for just being here. I'm not crazy - they are.

edit on 16-2-2011 by Ghostcat because: spelling

you checked out USGS, ...(compulsively) questioned posted info, Like living through war? or not living at all because your scared...get a grip man

Originally posted by Skippy1138
reply to post by westcoast

 

Not sure what the panic is about since you yourself quoted a source saying it was "two small quakes" and "no injuries or damage reported"......

Well if there is any sign of panic, it certainly isn't because I encouraged it. In fact, I have been saying all along that this thread is for info and observation only, and stressed (many times) that there is no sign of an eruption.

The two small quakes (now more like 14...being called aftershocks) followed the moderate sized 4.3 quake. That may not be considered big for a place like California or New Zeland but for an active volcano it is quite significant.

ATS is a forum to share information, to learn and collaborate. I see it as an opportunity to network and have enjoyed all the great interaction we have had to date. Thanks to all for the input!

Originally posted by ConspiricusTheoricus
I really don't know much about volcano activity. I just looked at the usgs site, and saw minor quakes all around the world. Is that normal, and the 4.3 at St. Helens, along with the smaller one, is that normal? I would appreciate any responses. Thanks for the post by the way. Very interesting stuff. S&F.

Hi Conspiricus -- or should I say "Vale, Conspiricus"

Yes, minor quakes around the world are quite normal and there are hundreds every day. USGS normally only posts ones above mag 4.5 if they are outside the US and above 2.5 within the US. Smaller ones still get recorded into databases but they don't get shown on the USGS maps.

However, most of these quakes are considered to be merely "seismic" (not "volcanic"), with the majority of them linked to tectonic activity. (Plate movement.) Although tectonic plate theory is just a theory and should not be taken as the be-all and end-all in relation to earthquakes and their causes, for now (at least) it's a fair basis for trying to study what happens and why. I'm not saying that tectonic plates don't exist, just that we still don't fully understand the complexities of their movement and interactions. In other words, the theory is still being refined by new studies and data.

The mag 4.3 quake close to Mt St Helens was an unusual event in terms of its strength. There are often quakes there but most of them are very small and are only detected by sensitive equipment. This particular quake was the strongest one there in 30 years, which is why Westcoast started this thread for us to discuss it and observe any follow-on activity. You can be sure that experts are watching it for the same reason -- not because it indicates an impending eruption (as there is no evidence of that at present), but simply because it's a rare event in that location and hence it's worth the extra attention.

If you'd like to get more information then I can recommend the Quake Watch 2011 thread, which besides keeping us up to date with what's going on this year also includes links to the quake watch threads for the past 7 years or so, along with many links for data, resources and educational materials. There is also the Volcano Watch 2011 thread, which does the same for matters volcanic.

Please feel free to contact any of us who post regularly in these threads if you have any other questions.

Best regards,

Mike

reply to post by JustMike


They might be tectonic related but when the rock gets moved around just enough, the Magma will find a way to go trough...

Now with Solar Flare M6.6 and the x2.2 coming i wonder if that won't be the tipping point..we'll see won't we.

Peace,Always

reply to post by bridak


Well....all has been silent so far today. (which is a good thing....probably )

I am thinking that if there is any truth to the flares being associated with quakes/volcano's, with how things have been around here lately I would expect to see something on the larger scale either tonight or tomorrow.

reply to post by westcoast


Keeping a close eye on current solar activity, volcano eruptions and earthquakes.

I wish to make close note as to earthquake acitivity during the X2.2 flare visit, I hope it is friendly in nature.

Originally posted by crazydaisy
reply to post by westcoast

 

Keeping a close eye on current solar activity, volcano eruptions and earthquakes.

I wish to make close note as to earthquake acitivity during the X2.2 flare visit, I hope it is friendly in nature.

What the flare?
a friendly solar flare?
C R A Z Y D A I S Y...
It will be interesting to see what quake we can relate to that flare.

I'm taking a geology class and today we calculated the frequency of Cascade volcanic eruptions in the last 4,000 years. Since my class isn't a very high level, we didn't use exact numbers, but we did general calculations. Overall St. Helens has erupted about 20 times in the last 4,000 years (the chart wasn't very accurate so our professor said estimate as best you can). On average, eruptions happen about every 200 years and it has a 0.5 percent chance of erupting every 100 years. However this was averaged in general terms and the chart we used to get the numbers clearly showed that Helen's eruptions happen in spurts. We also caluclated that a Cascade Volcanic eruption (from Baker down to Lassen), happens, on average every 62 years, so theoretically everyone should be able to experience one in their lifetime.
Then we watched satellite and photographs showing St Helen's rebuilding its dome.
I don't know if this information helps, but I thought it might be relevant. I'm sure another ATS member is more knowledgeable on the subject.

It would appear that she isn't quite done yet.

MAP 2.4 2011/02/17 10:55:04 46.280 -122.217 4.1 9 km ( 6 mi) NNW of Mount St. Helens Volcano, WA
MAP 1.8 2011/02/16 20:02:07 46.278 -122.213 4.6 9 km ( 6 mi) NNW of Mount St. Helens Volcano, WA


While the 1.8 would be considered normal background for her, the 2.4 is more significant and they are both in the exact same area as the swarm, so I am sure these would both be considered aftershocks.

Given that the X flare and second M flare have yet to reach us, I will change my prediction regarding the possible link to quake activity. I believe they are suposed to arrive tonight now....so we shall see.

Here's another

2.4 2011/02/17 20:07:19 46.283 -122.225 1.4 10 km ( 6 mi) NNW of Mount St. Helens Volcano, WA

Here's the latest:

MAP 1.3 2011/02/18 08:08:07 46.280 -122.210 3.9 9 km ( 6 mi) NNW of Mount St. Helens Volcano, WA
MAP 2.4 2011/02/17 20:07:19 46.283 -122.225 1.4 10 km ( 6 mi) NNW of Mount St. Helens Volcano, WA
MAP 2.5 2011/02/17 10:55:04 46.279 -122.215 6.3 9 km ( 6 mi) NNW of Mount St. Helens Volcano, WA
MAP 1.8 2011/02/16 20:02:07 46.278 -122.215 5.2 9 km ( 6 mi) NNW of Mount St. Helens Volcano, WA



All considered after-shocks, I'm sure.

Source

* This is a computer-generated message -- this event has not yet been reviewed by a seismologist.

Magnitude 2.5
Date-Time

* Saturday, February 19, 2011 at 21:59:31 UTC
* Saturday, February 19, 2011 at 01:59:31 PM at epicenter
* Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location 46.278°N, 122.220°W
Depth 3.2 km (2.0 miles) set by location program
Region MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
Distances

* 9 km (6 miles) NNW (340°) from Mount St. Helens Volcano, WA
* 31 km (20 miles) S (172°) from Morton, WA
* 35 km (22 miles) SE (144°) from Mossyrock, WA
* 77 km (48 miles) NNE (22°) from Vancouver, WA

Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 0.5 km (0.3 miles); depth fixed by location program
Parameters NST= 10, Nph= 10, Dmin=4 km, Rmss=0.14 sec, Gp=115°,
M-type=duration magnitude (Md), Version=0
Source

* Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network

Event ID uw02192159

reply to post by zenius


Beat me to it, darn it Ive posted it over in the quake/volcano threads.

reply to post by zenius


Ha...you just beat me to it.

I just got back from a bike ride and was checking the seismos because I suddenly began to feel nauseous...like a motion sick kind. I was attributing it to hypoglycemia, but I have felt this way too before the big quakes last year (haiti,chili)

I'm sure it is nothing....but putting it out there anyways.

This is a computer-generated message -- this event has not yet been reviewed by a seismologist.
Magnitude
2.0
Date-Time
Sunday, February 20, 2011 at 02:28:54 UTC
Saturday, February 19, 2011 at 06:28:54 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
46.203°N, 122.186°W
Depth
1.5 km (~0.9 mile) set by location program
Region
MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
Distances
1 km (0 miles) NW (307°) from Mount St. Helens Volcano, WA
40 km (25 miles) NNE (33°) from Amboy, WA
40 km (25 miles) S (170°) from Morton, WA
60 km (37 miles) E (83°) from Longview, WA
71 km (44 miles) NNE (27°) from Vancouver, WA
Location Uncertainty
horizontal +/- 0.4 km (0.2 miles); depth fixed by location program
Parameters
NST= 10, Nph= 10, Dmin=0 km, Rmss=0.18 sec, Gp=115°,
M-type=duration magnitude (Md), Version=0
Source
Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network
Event ID
uw02200228

This is a computer-generated message -- this event has not yet been reviewed by a seismologist.
Magnitude
2.3
Date-Time
Sunday, February 20, 2011 at 08:00:00 UTC
Sunday, February 20, 2011 at 12:00:00 AM at epicenter
Location
46.200°N, 122.182°W
Depth
1.3 km (~0.8 mile) set by location program
Region
MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
Distances
0 km (0 miles) WNW (294°) from Mount St. Helens Volcano, WA
40 km (25 miles) NNE (33°) from Amboy, WA
40 km (25 miles) S (169°) from Morton, WA
60 km (37 miles) E (84°) from Longview, WA
71 km (44 miles) NNE (27°) from Vancouver, WA
Location Uncertainty
horizontal +/- 0.1 km (0.1 miles); depth fixed by location program
Parameters
NST= 11, Nph= 11, Dmin=0 km, Rmss=0.11 sec, Gp= 61°,
M-type=duration magnitude (Md), Version=0
Source
Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network
Event ID
uw02200800

reply to post by berkeleygal


Was about to post the 2.3 magnitude one but you beat me to it.

So the thing that bothers me with these last two quakes is that I don't think they are after-shocks, because unlike the lot of them for the past week, these two are smack dab in the middle of the volcano. The last one, (2.3) is only 1 KM deep. Now, it hasn't been reviewed yet, so maybe it will change, but not the location. I looked at all the seismos on the mountain and it was definately in the crater.

I remember something about shallow earthquakes meaning an impending eruption. Now the last 2 were 1.5 km and then 1.3 km. Does this mean that an eruption is more likely?