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
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.
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.
