Home>News Center>World
         
 

Mount St. Helens' crater floor rising
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-10-08 08:47

Part of Mount St. Helens' crater floor has risen 50 to 100 feet since Tuesday while earthquake rates have been low, signs that magma is moving upward without much resistance, scientists said Thursday.

"The skids are greased," Jake Lowenstern, a U.S. Geological Survey volcanologist, said at a news conference at the Cascades Volcano Observatory in Vancouver, Wash.


Clouds and a jet contrail hover over Mount St. Helens, as windswept ash drifts out of the crater Thursday, October 7, 2004. Scientists have lowered the alert level for Mount St. Helens, saying earthquake activity was down to the lowest level since before the volcano started venting steam last week.[AP]

With the latest rising, an area of the crater floor just south of the nearly 1,000-foot lava dome has risen about 250 feet since the mountain began stirring two weeks ago, Lowenstern said.

There's no way to tell when magma might reach the surface, he said.

On Wednesday, scientists lowered the alert level for the southwest Washington volcano, saying earthquake activity was down to the lowest level since before the mountain started venting steam last week.


The stump of a tree destroyed in the 1980 eruption frames the dawn sun as small trail of steam exits the crater of Mount St. Helens, October 7, 2004. Government scientists have downgraded the threat level of the volcano from three to two after seismic activity decreased. [Reuters]

U.S. Geological Survey scientists downgraded the "volcano alert" to a "volcano advisory," indicating the probability of an eruption that could endanger lives and property had decreased significantly since Saturday, when thousands of people were evacuated from the mountain.

Despite the new detail Thursday on the magma movement, scientists said there was no reason to raise the alert level back up.

Larry Mastin, a USGS expert in the physics of volcano eruptions, said that while there's an outside chance an eruption could send a plume of ash 15 miles into the air or higher, there is no indication that any eruption is imminent or that it would threaten lives or property.

Earthquake activity remained relatively low Thursday, with about one magnitude 1 quake a minute. The volcano was occasionally venting steam as water trickled down and hit hot rocks, Lowenstern said.

Scientists planned to make another flight over the volcano's crater Thursday to sample gas emissions and take thermal images, and to continue preparing instruments on the mountain for the winter.

A brief break in the clouds late Wednesday gave visitors a peek at weak steam emissions in the volcano's crater.

On Tuesday, under sunny skies, a spectacular cloud of steam and old ash rose thousands of feet above the 8,364-foot peak and a light dusting of gritty ash fell on some areas northeast of the mountain. It was the largest of a series of emissions of steam and ash since Friday.

Geologists continued to emphasize that there is little chance of anything similar to the blast that blew 1,300 feet off the top of the peak in May 1980, killing 57 people and paralyzing much of the inland Pacific Northwest with gritty volcanic ash.

Before then, Mount St. Helens had been silent since the 19th century.

The U.S. Forest Service reiterated Thursday that closures around the volcano — including the Johnston Ridge observatory five miles north of the crater — would remain in effect until authorities determine the area is safe.



 
  Today's Top News     Top World News
 

Hu, Bush discuss trade, Taiwan issue

 

   
 

Wen urges Viet Nam to handle ties properly

 

   
 

Holiday concludes with growing spending

 

   
 

Beijing slams US report on human rights

 

   
 

Chirac hopes visit strengthens partnership

 

   
 

'Piano Teacher' author wins Nobel Prize

 

   
  Blasts kill 30 on Egypt-Israeli border
   
  Bush, Cheney concede Saddam had no WMDs
   
  Insurgents hit Baghdad hotel with rockets
   
  Mount St. Helens' crater floor rising
   
  'Piano Teacher' author wins Nobel Prize
   
  13 new members join Asia-Europe Meeting
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
  Related Stories  
   
US warns of big Mount St. Helens blast
   
Mount St. Helens erupts after 18 years
   
Undersea volcano observed by US research ship
  News Talk  
  Are the Republicans exploiting the memory of 9/11?  
Advertisement
         
主站蜘蛛池模板: 亚洲乱亚洲乱少妇无码| 四虎影院最新网址| 亚洲人成在线影院| 神尾舞高清无在码在线| 国产xxxx做受视频| 高清国产一级毛片国语| 国产精品久久久久久久久| 中文字幕在线观看亚洲视频| 日韩视频中文字幕| 人妻无码aⅴ不卡中文字幕 | 亚洲人成人77777网站不卡| 玉蒲团之天下第一| 国产成人AV三级在线观看按摩| 91video国产一区| 新梅瓶1一5集在线观看| 久久精品中文字幕首页| 爱看精品福利视频观看| 医生女同护士三女| 老公和他朋友一块上我可以吗 | 国产91在线|日韩| 邻居少妇张开腿让我爽了在线观看| 国产成人免费高清激情视频| 午夜小视频在线| 国产精品中文字幕在线观看| 2019国产精品| 国产精品毛片a∨一区二区三区| 中国内地毛片免费高清| 日本乱理伦电影在线| 久久精品一区二区| 日韩欧美小视频| 亚洲欧美精品在线| 美女污污视频网站| 国产乱码卡一卡2卡三卡四| 2021国产精品露脸在线| 成人国产永久福利看片| 久久aⅴ免费观看| 欧美一级美片在线观看免费| 亚洲日产2021三区在线| 正在播放国产一区| 亚洲毛片免费看| 欧美色图亚洲自拍|