41st anniversary of Mount St. Helens eruption spotlights improvements in volcano monitoring
SEATTLE - Tuesday marks the 41st anniversary of the deadly Mt. St. Helens eruption. Since then, scientists have taken big steps in monitoring volcanoes.
Of call the Cascade volcanoes, Mt. St. Helens is monitored the closest.
"Just based on its history of being so active recently, we would expect it will most likely be active again in the near future," said Cascades Volcano Observatory research geologist Emily Johnson.
Since the 1980 eruption that killed 57 people, scientists have come a long way in monitoring Mt. St. Helens.
"We have such better technology and greater distributions of seismometers and monitoring equipment that we can see things we never had the ability to see before happening at the subsurface of these volcanoes," said Johnson.
Between the Cascades Volcano Observatory and the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, there are 18 seismometers within 10 kilometers of Mt. St. Helens. With the advancement of satellite imagery, geologists are able to see deformation at very small scales.y
"These satellites are circling the globe taking pictures of volcanoes, we can compare and contrast on days to weeks of what the volcano is doing. That’s amazing advancement in our volcano monitoring techniques," said Johnson.
Johnson is also looking at the volcano’s past eruptions to predict future activity.
"All of my research is trying to understand the run-up volcanic eruptions, so where was magma stored in the crust, how long did they sit there before they erupted, and how fast did they get to the surface, so if we know those things we can better prepare for future events," said Johnson.
The U.S. Geological Survey says Mt. St. Helens volcano alert level has remained normal since the 2004 to 2008 dome eruptions. While it’s impossible to pinpoint its next eruption, scientists say current monitoring can give advanced warning before it happens.
"We’re also working to update our monitoring techniques with new technologies and have new field efforts this summer to do that," said Johnson.
If you would like to visit Mt. St. Helens, Ape Cave opened Tuesday after a 14-month closure. Reservations are required. The Johnston Ridge Observatory remains closed but may partially open in the future.
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