Mount Saint Helens Building Magma for Next Eruption

Scientist said on Wednesday that Mount St. Helens is showing signs of long-term build up and earthquake activity. However, they don’t believe that the southwest Washington state volcano threatens to erupt any time soon.

“This is giving long-term [data] that it’s getting ready to erupt again, but it could be decades before it does something again,” Seth Moran, a volcano seismologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, told The Associated Press. “It’s getting ready but it’s not there.”

The magma reservoir beneath the volcano has been slightly re-pressurizing since 2008, the USGS said in a statement. That’s likely being caused by a small amount of additional magma, two to five miles under the surface. The recharging is “probably what Mount St. Helens does,” Moran said. “It may stay perched at ready stage for a long time before it starts to erupt. The reassuring thing is: when it’s really ready to erupt, it gives lots and lots of signs.” – – Catherine Garcia

Agencies/Canadajournal

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