I hope nothing surprising happens.
A normally quiet “high-risk” volcano in Washington state is roaring at record speed, geologists warn, with little chance of it erupting any time soon. He expressed his opinion.
Mount Adams, a breathtaking snow-capped mountain in the southern part of the state, has been hit by seven low-intensity earthquakes since September. According to the Cascade Volcano Observatory.
The number of earthquakes ranging in magnitude from 0.9 to 2.0 is highly unusual for a 12,200-foot mountain that typically occurs only once every two to three years.
A series of rumblings prompted the U.S. Geological Survey to Send an alert Early this month, three new seismic stations will be installed to monitor it.
But John Major, a scientist in charge at the Cascade Volcano Observatory, said tremors alone do not indicate there is an imminent threat of an explosion.
“There's no need to worry for now,” the major said. “If we start having more earthquakes, if we start to get bigger, if we start having earthquakes that are shallower and more frequent, then maybe we'll start looking more closely.” he told the Washington Post.
He described the series of tremors as “a bit out of character for this volcano.”
Signs that the volcano is “starting to wake up” include a significant increase in earthquakes, ground deformation and a spike in gas emissions, none of which are occurring, said Holly Weiss-Racine, a geologist at the Observatory of Volcanoes. speaks.
“We haven't seen anything like that at this point,” Weiss Racine said. told the Washington Standard Early this month.
She called the surge in earthquakes “interesting” but “doesn't mean anything.”
All told, Mount Adams, the state's second-tallest volcano after Mount Rainier, has experienced 10 earthquakes so far this year.
In September alone, the volcano experienced six earthquakes, the most ever recorded at the volcano in a single month.
If the volcano were to erupt, Weislasheen said it would be unlike the tragic explosion of Mount St. Helens in 1980, which killed 57 people and covered much of the region in ash.
“It's not a very explosive volcano. It won't produce a lot of ash,” she said, adding that it would instead spew thick lava flows.
The latest satellite images do not show any uplift or deformation of the mountain due to magma moving to the surface. Geologists say no gas is escaping either.
with post wire
