Decades after catastrophic 1980 eruption, Mount St. Helens is 'recharging'

By Blair Shiff

May 18, 2017, 5:06 AM ET

Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980, after two months of increasing volcanic activity.

Since its most recent eruption in 2008, there has been a swarm of earthquakes, which are thought to be a result of the magmatic system's "recharging," according to the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network.

Similar seismic swarms were detected during recharging periods before a small eruption in 2004 and through a period of volcanic activity that ended in 2008.

In March through May of this year, swarms of deep earthquakes, not even felt on the surface, have been detected.

Seismic swarms do not directly indicate that an eruption is imminent, because volcanic forecasting is difficult, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
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Over the nearly four decades since the cataclysmic eruption, the USGS has noticed signs of recovery near Mount St. Helens.

These signs of regrowth are positive, but there are also signs of increased seismic activity under the mountain.
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Due to the fact that the Molten iron river discovered speeding beneath Russia and Canada has trebled it's speed, it is only logical that there is an increase in seismic, and geothermal/magmatic events at least in the northern hemisphere.

This would be why there have been so many quakes rattling Italy.

Set to blow? Supervolcano Campi Flegrei reawakening near Naples, could hit 500,000 people

Number of Earthquakes in Central Italy Since Large August 24th 2016 Earthquake has excedeed 48,200

This is also why there is an increase in seismic activity in areas like Mount St. Helen, etc.

Knowing that the molten iron in Earth's interior in the northern hemisphere has tripled in speed means there is more friction, and more pressure building up in the northern hemisphere, which would logically increase seismic and geothermal activity.

originally posted by: ElectricUniverse
Knowing that the molten iron in Earth's interior in the northern hemisphere has tripled in speed means there is more friction

Wouldn't more friction mean it would be slowing down ?

a reply to: ElectricUniverse

Id imagine Mt. St. Helens would have a mild to minor eruption if soon.

My eyes have been on the three sisters volcanoes in Oregon, and Mt. Rainier.

A massive eruption from Mt. Rainier, with its 25 glaciers and numerous populated cities and towns in old lahar flows seems like a catastrophe waiting to happen.

Heh! I was 150 miles away and I FELT IT!

I was working at my cousin's gas station/mini mart that day because I liked the girl who worked on the weekends (I was 16, she was 18, she looked like Debbie Harry from Blondie, she liked me because I was tall and had a dirt bike, I was smitten, heh heh).

Anyway, we had been told for months that MSH was going to blow at any time. No one knew what to expect, but I figured we were far enough away that we were safe (which was true).

[Just for the perfection junkies out there, I was at about the 200 mile marker right off I-5.]

When the mountain blew, I was standing in front of these large single-pane windows -- probably 8' W x 4' H. I heard BOOM! BOOM! and about 5 seconds later watched those windows flex in and out. I literally felt the shock waves from that far away.

I immediately knew that it was The Mountain.

Over the next few days it was pretty amazing. Lots of stories of mass destruction, cars covered with ash, dozens dead, the I-5 bridge over the Toutle river taken out, rumors of more catastrophe to come, lol. Borderline Mass Hysteria at times...

The news coverage, such as it was back then, was nonstop in the Seattle and Portland markets. I stayed up all night watching that 5-frame time-lapse of the eruption I'm sure most have seen a million times.

About a week after the eruption I walked outside and got on my bike and I noticed a light dusting of ash on the tank...

It's not much of a Mount St. Helens story, I will admit, but it did put a smile on my face remembering a pretty great time in my life. Now if I could just remember that girl's name...

And Bigfoot had finally moved back to the area.

Anywho, I wonder if folks will underestimate the volcano this time around?

Mt. Saint Helens has been working in recharging itself in fits and starts since it blew, but I agree with the person above who said that if it goes this soon after it's last big bang, it will likely be a minor eruption.

I'd be more worried about what's working on over in Italy with Campi Flegrei.

It has the potential to pop off at super volcano status, but it could just be a minor eruption too. Thing is that because it's been thought of as pretty much asleep to dormant, they have 1 monitoring station on it -- in the middle of it. So there isn't a lot of information on what's going on, but they think it might be nearing that point at which each episode of activity is only going to greatly increase the odds of eruption.

Does that mean it goes boom in our lifetimes? Who knows ... and that's the problem.

a reply to: ElectricUniverse

Hopefully this time they will be better prepared if it does blow.