Mt. St. Helen's

“On my way into Mt. St. Helen's last week, I was surprised by how much work Weyerhauser had done to clear logs and plant trees after the explosion.

I asked a ranger about it on a guided hike and he gave me a "some think it's good, others think it's bad" answer.

Later, my sister asked him about his response, and he said he had almost been fired for criticizing Weyerhauser during a previous hike.

Does anyone know this area well? Have we been jilted out of watching a truly natural recovery in the area? And, should we ever believe anything that a ranger says?”

“I've been there a few times since the eruption. Weyerhauser is just doing what they have to do to make their land productive again. Productive to them means harvesting downed trees and planting new ones.

I think the criticism of Weyerhauser is that they are not letting nature do her thing--monospecies tree planting and all.
But there is the National Monument where natural recovery is happening, so you get some of both.

The ranger was wrong to spout his own views unless specifically asked. He may have stated his views before and they were taken as "official", when they were personal.

To answer your question, yes you can believe what a Ranger tells you. But be sure to seperate facts from personal opinions.”

“Mount St. Helens Releases Large Ash Plume
Scientists Doubtful of Large Eruption From Volcano

MOUNT ST. HELENS, Wash. (March 8) - Mount St. Helens made its most significant emission in months, sending a gritty ash cloud drifting slowly to the northeast.





A plume of steam and ash rose from the dome of Mount St. Helens, reaching 36,000 feet above sea level.
The National Weather Service issued an ashfall advisory Tuesday evening after pilots reported spotting ash higher than 30,000 feet, said National Weather Service meteorologist Danny Mercer. The advisory was cancelled early Wednesday.

A fine dusting of ash was reported 125 miles to the east-northeast in southern Grant County late Tuesday night, the National Weather Service reported.

The 30-minute outpouring began at 5:25 p.m. Tuesday, about an hour after a 2.0 magnitude quake rumbled on the east side of the 8,364-foot volcano, said Bill Steele, coordinator of the Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network at the University of Washington.

Steele said he did not believe the explosion had increased the risk of a significant eruption and noted that recent flights over the volcano's crater did not reveal high levels of gases.


By the Numbers


8,364
Height in feet after 1980 eruption

123
Years the volcano was inactive before 1980

660° F
High temperature of the 1980 blast

230
Square miles covered by the blast



Sources: USGS, World Boo The volcano has vented ash and steam since last fall, when thousands of small earthquakes marked a seismic reawakening of the 8,364-foot mountain.

Steele said the latest ash burst may have been triggered by partial collapse of a lava dome in the crater, which has been growing steadily over the last several months.

Peggy Johnson, a university seismologist, said there had been no increase in quake activity before the explosion.

College roommates Scott Miller and William Nicoll, both 19, were visiting Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument when the eruption happened. Miller snapped pictures before the two leaped into their car and drove west, yelling at other motorists to turn back until they had gone about a mile and felt safe again.

''It was a pretty big adrenaline rush,'' Nicoll said.

On May 18, 1980, the volcano 100 miles south of Seattle blew its top, killing 57 people and covering the region with gritty ash.

Mount St. Helens rumbled back to life Sept. 23, with shuddering seismic activity that peaked above magnitude 3 as hot magma broke through rocks in its path. Molten rock reached the surface Oct. 11, marking resumption of dome-building activity that had stopped in 1986.

Scientists have said a more explosive eruption, possibly dropping ash within a 10-mile radius of the crater, is possible at any time.”

“So she is ready to start dropin F-Bombs again.”

“And if you go out to the USGS site for volcanoes you see the Mt Rainier risk has not been updated since 1998

Seven years ago, and some of the Lahar risk areas are populated.”