Quote:
Originally posted by C_U_Next_Tuesday
It just let off a little steam..glad it wasnt a major disaster like the last time.
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more to come.
Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Mount St. Helens began erupting in Washington state, spewing a column of steam and ash about a mile above the volcano before dissipating.
``We expect more than this one little burst to occur,'' Tom Pierson, a U.S. Geological Survey scientist, told Cable News Network. ``This was really just a steam explosion.''
The volcano began erupting shortly after noon local time, pushing a cloud of white steam into the air that was visible from as far away as Portland, Oregon, which is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) to the south of the mountain. Pierson said more mild activity is expected.
The frequency and strength of small earthquakes near the volcano began building this week, boosting expectations of an eruption. Scientists have said any event would likely be minor compared with the catastrophic one that occurred May 18, 1980. That eruption followed a 5.1 magnitude earthquake and killed 57 people. The event reduced the volcano's height by 1,314 feet.
There are about four earthquakes a minute, and the cloud of smoke and ash is moving to northeast.
There've been several small eruptions at Mt. St. Helens since 1986.