EQ 3.0 Mount St. Helens Volcano, WA - PRELIMINARY REPORT
An earthquake with
magnitude 3.0 occurred near Mount St. Helens Volcano, WA at 07:21:13.70 UTC on
Jan 14, 2007. (This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.)
U.S. Geological Survey, Vancouver, Washington
University of Washington, Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, Seattle, Washington
Saturday, January 13, 2007 08:58 PST (Saturday, January 13, 2007 16:58 UTC)
MOUNT ST. HELENS UPDATE
Current Volcanic- Alert Level WATCH ; 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 rising above the crater rim today would drift southward.
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: The low level of background seismicity continues, punctuated by the occasional larger quake (M1.5+). There have been no changes in eruptive behavior in the past 24 hours. Field observations on Thursday suggest that lava forming the new dome continues to slowly extrude.
The 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:
http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/MSH/Eruption04/For seismic information:
http://www.pnsn.org/HELENS/welcome.htmlFor a definition of alert levels:
http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/Cascades/CurrentActivity/volcano_warning_scheme.htmlFor a webcam view of the volcano:
http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/volcanocams/msh/