Results tagged “volcano”

It was 29 years ago today that the shimmy-shake of a 5.1 earthquake set off the volcanic eruption of Mt. Saint Helens. It spewed dark gray ash for nearly nine hours, causing destruction severe enough to label the volcanic eruption as one of our history's worst. So, where were you when Mt. Saint Helens blew?

Local researchers and science geeks are totally geeking out right now, as $21.5 billion of the stimulus dollars, dedicated solely to research and development, is now up for grabs. Scientists from across Washington, including the big shots at UW, WSU, Children's, and Fred Hutch have all applied for funding, and will continue to keep their fingers crossed for months until they hear who gets a slice of the stimulus research pie. Signs point in a positive direction, as one local laboratory focused on energy efficiency research was awarded $124 million in stimulus bucks already. The Pacific Northwest is expected to receive some funding (=more jobs), including dollars for biomedical research, volcano monitoring, and earthquake studies.

Finally an "Orange" alert level that means something: "An erupting Mount Redoubt exploded again this morning at 4:31 a.m.--its fifth and strongest discharge yet," sending ash to 60,000 feet. Travelers may have some delays to look forward to; the Anchorage airport is open, but Alaska Air has canceled 19 flights. Meanwhile, the volcano is at "Red" alert, as more activity may be on the way.

Alaska Airlines has been forced to cancel all flights in and out of Anchorage, Alaska due to volcanic activity. Passengers waiting at Sea-Tac on Sunday were allegedly told by Alaska Airline staff that the entire state was "unflyable" due to a plume of volcanic ash. All 11 flights to Anchorage from Sea-Tac on Monday have been canceled.

After three and a half years of eruptions, Mt. St. Helens has had five months of silence and the St. Helens eruption of 2004-2008 has officially been declared over. The U.S. Geological Survey's Cascades Volcano Observatory has removed an elevated warning of eruption from their classification of the volcano, downgrading its status from advisory ("elevated unrest") to normal.