Kip Andy Magee

Megan Collin

INT 369 Natural Disasters

Mount St Helen Devastated Eruption

Abstract

Mount St. Helen is what we’d proceeded as a cone shape mountain with all sloping sides in the spring of 1980 to be full of snow. Mount St. Helens geographic area is full of rich forestation woodlands. Its timberland is so amazing and a wonderful sight to see for miles around and its wildlife forestation ranges in deer’s and elk with hundreds of species of birds and insects. With an assortment of wild gaming and aquatically life species inhabiting the lake bed and streams. One can only say Mount St. Helen is rich with agriculture environment for wildlife and farming. Crops production with its four seasons of precipitations is an ideal place to grow agriculture and raise livestock. What is normally growing vegetation in Washington State is wheat, potatoes and apples in the seasons for harvesting hay for the livestock’s.  Life is good for the farmers and agriculture in Washington State, production which brings in an “total equity $838Billion.” (USDA 2018). Resources and roads are in excellent conditions and businesses is un-expecting what is to come.

The Earthquake of Mount St. Helen

In the weeks of May 18, 1980 scientist were using seismic instruments along the area of Mount St. Helens rumbling activity. In the brief time of the scientist findings over hundreds of quakes were recorded.  In the mist of all the rumbling scientist stage a camp that would survey any active movement. The tectonic plates that sit underneath Mt. St. Helen showed sizeable activity and let out 5.1 magnitude scale quake.  “Earthquakes are caused by sudden movements, comparatively near to the earth’s surface, along a zone of pre-existing geological weakness, called a fault. These movements are preceded by slow build-up of tectonic strain that progressively deforms the crustal rocks, producing stored elastic energy,” (Smith, Keith, Petley, David N, et al 2013). The plates movement violently released a gas pressure of Mt. St. Helen, this caused a serious disturbance in the dormant volcano.

The Eruption of Mount St. Helen

“The type of Volcanic eruption determines the shape of the structure, or cone, that is built.” (Warren 1990). Mt. Helens has a Stratovolcano Dome and no one expected what was about to transpire. Scientist thinking that it would erupt from the top of the cone but actually it happened from the side. “Up to 600 feet thickness of strata have formed since 1980 at Mount St. Helen. These deposits accumulated from primary air blast, landslide, wave on the lake, pyroclastic flows, mudflows, air fall, and stream water.” (Steven Austin 1986). Mount Helen blow from the side of the mountain causing a landslide; the largest in North American history. “An avalanche is a mass of tumbling snow. More than 80 percent of midwinter avalanches are triggered by a rapid accumulation of snow, and 90 percent of those occur within 24 hours of snowfall. An avalanche may reach a mass of a million tons and travel at speeds up to 200 mph.” (NOAA 2008) This changed the formation geography of the mountain. “These movements vary greatly in size (ranging from a few cubic meters to over 100 cubic kilometer’s) and in speed (ranging from millimeters per year to hundreds of meters per second).” (Smith et.al 2009) This massive movement happed in less than 10 seconds.

The Volcanic Released

The released of volcanic ashes, gases and magma made a pyro flow that cover the country side. This force destroyed the forestation and woodland areas. The Lake inhabitants was filled with debris from the volcanic eruption and the landslide massive movement. The Lake filled with ashes making the water toxic to its natural species the fish. The violent eruption covered over 13 miles making this one of the most devastated volcanic eruption of North America.  The gases released is some of the most toxic fumes driven into the atmosphere and water systems. The cataclysmic eruption caused avalanches and massive landslide also covering the highway roads and bridges. The avalanches disrupted the farming communities and crop productions. This time of year the melting snow would be have been used for stream as water irrigation, but rapidly melting snow caused severe flooding to the major parts of this community.

The Disturbance in The Atmosphere.

Mount St. Helens eruption did cause sever turbulence in the atmosphere. The visual disruption can see plumes of smoke and ashes for 100 of miles. This emergency is one of the great reason that air traffic had to be diverted. Mount St. Helen halted all flights going in and out of Washington State. The ash could be seen for miles, but the toxic plume covered agriculture and lakes. Wildlife was untraceable are even noticeable, all life on the mountain was gone, as far as the eye can see and scientist who study the eruption of Mt. Helen was even overcome with ash and magma so they perished. 57 people still died from the unexpected sideway blast of Mount St. Helens eruption. Scientist, loggers and campers, reports are known victims of the full force blast of Mount Helen.  

The Totaling Damage of Mount St. Helens Eruption.

 Over 200sq mile of burning ashes and forestry wiping out all living creature and timberland. Any vegetation that was in the area whether farmland and agriculture was gone. Because of the ashes and magma, the soil and vegetation is char to a crisp. The area that is directly below Mount Helen has turn into a creator; a two thousand feet deep ravine, in all direction of Mount St. Helen region has changed boundary. “Within a week the crater had grown to about 400 m (1,300ft) in diameter and two giant crack systems crossed the entire summit area.” (USGS 1980). The lake bed is risen and geo-sphere has change shape making the lake bed unrecognizable.   

The Finding After Mount St. Helens Eruption.

Mount St. Helen beautiful as it was then; is now blacken rock and ashes left for miles in the plumes plan. Most of the highway is in good condition but for ash covering the highways, the bridge was wipe out because of the timber overflow in the rivers. The forestry may have been damage more than can be imagine “The May 18 eruption of Mt. St. Helens laid waste to perhaps as much as 120,000 acres of forest land.” (Burket, et, al 1980). The agricultural has taken a sever hit “Crop losses in eastern Washington are estimated at about $100 million in 1980-about 7 percent of the normal crop value in the affected area and less than was expected initially.” (Cook, et al. 1981). The ashes have no concentrated nutrients to the soil so hay toxics had no effect on the live stocks.

Aid to Mt. St Helen Victims:

Victims of Mt. St. Helen seemed to develop psychological depression for the blast among residents.  They develop “post-traumatic stress syndrome: depression, troubled sleep, irritability, and a sense of powerlessness.” (Carson, et al 1990). People need help and animals need rescuing so program were put together in aiding the Washington State people. “74 Research projects were funded by the National Science Foundation at a total cost of just less than $5 million. The reconstruction of the New highway and bridges from the Toutle River to Johnston Ridge cost $145 Million.” (Carson, et al 1990). “An estimated 10,000 animals were killed in the eruption. But efforts by local humane societies, volunteers, and rescue team from the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA), extracted hundreds of animals from the mudslides or other places where they were marooned or trapped.” (Amelia Newcomb 1980).

New Technology is ready for Mt. St. Helen.

Mount St. Helen caught everyone off guard when it erupted in 1980, but new technology is in place to record and make an accurate reading if it should erupt again. “Surface and satellite sensors can now track near- pinpoint precision the ground deformation that signals magma movement.” (Doughton 2010). Scientist and Researchers have been making extra efforts in getting this reading right by adding over 350 seismic sensors on the Pacific Northwest. Many of the new technology can’t be assured unless they are in the field of volcano activity.

Conclusion:

In this assignment we looked at what geo-sphere had to do with the tectonic plates shifting and releasing magma do to earthquakes. Mt. St Helen changed geographic formation when the landslide happened creating a rise in the river but contaminating the finding. The agriculture impacted was sever that the lost in shipping was in the 1.2 billion for the average 1990. With air traffic being diverted tourism had a decline in traveling. The wildlife will have to be reintroduce into the wild of Mt. Helen in order to balance habitation. It’s a saying that the Gods is displeased with the civilization when the Volcano erupts making sacrifices possible. The eruption of the Mount St. Helens Volcano made some citizens with post-traumatic stress disorder. Like any violent event counseling was available through the national program. Rescue for the community of Washington State is available for the people and animals. With an agency dedicated to aiding animals it saves some of our humanity.  In the research of this project I learn to understand the rescue of people in need. With research we can realizes that with home development along a volcano isn’t the best thing to do but keeping the technology instruments ready in case it happened again is a must for scientist and researcher.  

Resources

Mt. St Helens Eruption May 189, 1980 YouTube Internet.  https://youtu.be/-H_HZVY1tT4 May 7, 2018.

Stephen Burket. Edward Furlow. Paul Golding. Lowell Grant. William Lipovsky. Thomas Lopp.
“The Economic Effects of the Eruptions of Mt. St. Helens.” USITC Publication 1096. September 1980. Washington, D.C. 20436.

Cook RJ. Barron JC. Papendick RI. Williams GJ III. “Impact on agriculture of the mount St. Helens eruptions.” Science 1981. Jan 2. Http://www.ncbi.nim.nih.gov/pubmed/17731222, March 5, 2018.

Smith, Keith, Petley, David N... et. al. “Mass Movement Hazards.” eBook Collection. EBSCO Publishing: printed 4/16/2013 copy 4/20/18

Neal, C.A., Casadevall, T., Millar, T., Hendley II. J., Stauffer, P., 1997. “Volcanic ash: Danger to aircraft in the North Pacific, U.S.” Geological Survey fact sheet 039-97. Print 4/20/2018.

U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Weather Service, 2008. “Winter Storms, The Deceptive Killers.” NOAA. American Red Cross. Federal Emergency Management Agency. Print 2008 4/20/18

Smith, Keith, Petley, David N., et. al, 2013. “Tectonic Hazards. Earthquakes.” eBook Collection. (EBSCOhost).  Printed 2013 EBSCO Publishing, web campus Internet: www.gbcnv.edu 4/20/2018

Sandi Doughton 2010. “Three decades later, Mt. St. Helens is wired with technology.” The Seattle Times. Web http://articles. Latimes.com/2010/may/22/news/la-adna-mount-saint-helens-20100522. Internet 4/30/2018

Amelia A. Newcomb 1980. “Citizens, SPCA officials cope with four-legged Mt. St. Helens Victims.” The Christian Science Monitor.

Steven Austin 1986. “Mount St. Helens and Catastrophism.” Proceedings of the First International Conference on Creationism. 1986 Creation Science Fellowship, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. USA.

Carson, R,. 1990. “Mount St. Helens: The Eruption and Recovery of a Volcano: Sasquatch Books, Seattle Washington, 160p

Simkin, T., and Siebert, L., 1994, Volcanoes of the World: Geoscience Press, Tucson, Arizona, 349p.