Mount St. Helens quieted down after spewing a plume of steam and ash — but only briefly. Within hours of the eruption Friday, seismic readings suggested pressure was building again inside the volcano, which had been dormant for 18 years.
It began rumbling last week, set off by small earthquakes occurring as often as three or four times a minutes, and scientists said there could be more steam eruptions soon.
Friday's eruption, described by government scientist Jeff Wynn as a "throat-clearing," was the sleeping giant's first since 1986. On May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens blew its top with such force that 57 people lost their lives.
The volcanic burp cast a haze across the horizon as the roiling plume rose from the nearly 1,000-foot-tall dome. After about 20 minutes, the mountain calmed and the plume dissipated.
I was only 10 when the big blast happened, but I can remember it well. What I remember the most was the camcorder shot footage of people on the run from the eruption. The ominous cloud of smoke and ash. The forests laid waste. The lightning storms over the crater. Then there were the deaths. At least there are warning signs that can't be heeded now. Hopefully the next blast will just be steam and ash. Still, I don't think I'd ever consider a volcano eruption a "burp".
No comments:
Post a Comment