> What is that glow? It was spotted with in the last 48 to 72 hours by quite a
> few VolcanoCam web visitors attempting to view Mount St. Helens at night.

Thursday, October 14, 2004 Posted: 9:53 AM EDT (1353 GMT)

MOUNT ST. HELENS, Washington (AP) -- The molten rock rising inside Mount St. Helens is giving the peak an eerie red glow at night.

Lava has been climbing to the surface at nearly 1,300 degrees for the past few days in a process that scientists said Wednesday could go on for days, weeks or months. At night, low-hanging clouds and the steam rising from the volcano reflect the glow of the red-hot stone inside the crater.

Scientists said they do not know how long the eruption might continue, or whether it will be marked by explosive blasts.

But they said any eruption would probably be far less dangerous than the cataclysmic explosion in 1980 that blasted away much of the mountaintop and killed 57 people.

The area immediately around the mountain remains closed.

The molten rock, or magma, rising inside the mountain has been depositing itself on the crater floor inside the volcano, halfway up the 8,634-foot peak, creating a "fin" of rock estimated Tuesday at 60 to 90 feet tall and 150 to 180 feet wide.

The fin, at about 750 degrees, has a pinkish cast "like medium roast beef," geologist Tina Neal of the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The glowing rock itself can be seen only from aircraft flying above the volcano.

Lava first reached the surface on Monday, following more than two weeks of rumblings and steam and ash bursts from the mountain.

In 1980, an eruption that killed 57 people leveled trees for miles around and covered much of the Pacific Northwest with ash. It was "barely a five" on the eight-level Volcanic Explosive Index, said Jon Major, a hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey.

At this point, scientists believe there is a 10 percent chance of a level four or larger eruption at the 8,364-foot mountain, he said. The area immediately around the mountain is closed.

Any explosive eruption would likely go straight up, Major said, blowing ash and steam tens of thousands of feet high. That could cause concern for aircraft and cars in the area, but nothing like 1980's lateral blast.



Ni!

>
> > Any explosive eruption would likely go straight up, Major said, blowing
> ash
> > and steam tens of thousands of feet high. That could cause concern for
> > aircraft and cars in the area, but nothing like 1980's lateral blast.
> >
> >
> >
> > Ni!
> >
>
> It's aliens dangit !
> They're trying to warm up their ship before the long journey home :)
> It's cold in space, LOL
>Hi CR, although I,m only 45 miles from St. Helens I,m on the south side of her and have a good vieu from my back yard. Can,t see much now as far as any steam or ash eruptions go. Guess its time to set up the old telescope so I can get a better look. Later....Norman

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>
> > > It's aliens dangit !
> > > They're trying to warm up their ship before the long journey home :)
>
> > > It's cold in space, LOL
> > >Hi CR, although I,m only 45 miles from St. Helens I,m on the south
> side of
> > her and have a good vieu from my back yard. Can,t see much now as far as
> any
> > steam or ash eruptions go. Guess its time to set up the old telescope so
> I can
> > get a better look. Later....Norman
> >
> Cool! Were you living their in 1980 when it exploded and blew the side
> off?
> 45 miles is actually kind of close considering how tall it is.
> Must be neat having a view of it from your back yard.
> Only view from my back yard are trees and a neighbors chicken house :)
>Yep! CR. I was on 205 freeway ,heading north toward N.E. Portland. There was kind of a shuter in the car and I thought it was a blown tire. My wife yelled out, all my God ,what is that ? I looked out and saw a huge mushrooming cloud risine up. It was boiling staight up and grew to about 70,000 ft. We made it home and continued to watch it for another 9 hours or so. It drifted away from Portland , toward the east. We didnot get any ash fallout until about two weeks later from a follow up eruption. It was scary at the time and still is a little but most of the mass of St. Helens went in the first explosion.We have probably five other volcanic mountains in our area that they watch 24-7. Ya, never know.....Norman

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DAY AFTER DAY
Shango


Day after day, more people come to L..A..
Don’t you tell anybody, the whole place’s slipping away
Where can we go, when there’s no San Francisco ?
Better get ready to tie up the boat in Idaho

Do you know the swim, you better learn quick Jim
Those who don’t know the swim, better sing the hym

Better get ready to tie up the boat in Idaho
Better get ready to tie up the boat in Idaho

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