University of Memphis Assists in Monitoring Mt. St. Helens Earthquakes
September 2005
A team of seismologists from the University of Memphis, Center for Earthquake Research and Information (CERI) are participating in earthquake monitoring efforts at Mt. St. Helens. CERI was invited to assist the Cascadia Volcano Observatory and the University of Washington by sending a two-person seismology team to deploy a high-quality, portable seismic network that augments existing CVO and PNSN (Pacific Northwest Seismic Network) seismic instrument arrays. Information from seismic network is used to determine accurate depths and locations of earthquakes and to monitor the energy released from any eruption. Precise determination of earthquake magnitude, frequency, and depth is important in estimating the size and timing of eruptive events. Due to the urgent need to distribute instruments quickly to this area, FedEx provided rapid shipment of the CERI portable array to Washington. CERI Associate Director and MAE Center Hazard Program Co-Coordinator, Christine Powell, is quick to point out that these "urgent operations where seismology has a significant impact on society would be much more difficult and costly without the help of the FedEx."
Since September 25, thousands of earthquakes have occurred beneath Mt. St. Helens, which erupted in 1980 causing 57 deaths and significant environmental damage. Intense earthquake activity and noticeable surface deformation immediately preceded the 1980 eruption. Because of the sparsely populated area of impact, most damage was limited to residential structures and was related to mud and debris flows. Scientists believe the present swarm of earthquakes under the volcano indicates an impending eruption, but probably smaller than the 1980 event.
Dr. Steve Horton, CERI Research Scientist, specializes in field deployments for earthquake monitoring and is placing strong and weak motions seismograph stations (vibration sensing instruments) around the volcano. His most recent international array deployment was associated with the MAE Center's post-earthquake studies of the 2001 Gujarat Earthquake in India. He said, "Our goal here is to assist CVO and collect important perishable data that increase our knowledge of earthquake patterns associated with volcanic activity, especially at Mt. St. Helens." The CERI portable array will be in the field for an undetermined period of time. Dr. Horton is accompanied by Geophysics graduate student, Thomas Brackman. The team is transmitting journal entries, pictures, and other information to a link on the CERI main page, www.ceri.memphis.edu. Comprehensive information on activity at Mt. St. Helen's can be found at http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/ (CVO) and http://www.pnsn.org/ (PNSN).
Contact Gary Patterson (glpttrsn@memphis.edu) for further information on the CERI deployment at Mt. St. Helens.
Since September 25, thousands of earthquakes have occurred beneath Mt. St. Helens, which erupted in 1980 causing 57 deaths and significant environmental damage. Intense earthquake activity and noticeable surface deformation immediately preceded the 1980 eruption. Because of the sparsely populated area of impact, most damage was limited to residential structures and was related to mud and debris flows. Scientists believe the present swarm of earthquakes under the volcano indicates an impending eruption, but probably smaller than the 1980 event.
Dr. Steve Horton, CERI Research Scientist, specializes in field deployments for earthquake monitoring and is placing strong and weak motions seismograph stations (vibration sensing instruments) around the volcano. His most recent international array deployment was associated with the MAE Center's post-earthquake studies of the 2001 Gujarat Earthquake in India. He said, "Our goal here is to assist CVO and collect important perishable data that increase our knowledge of earthquake patterns associated with volcanic activity, especially at Mt. St. Helens." The CERI portable array will be in the field for an undetermined period of time. Dr. Horton is accompanied by Geophysics graduate student, Thomas Brackman. The team is transmitting journal entries, pictures, and other information to a link on the CERI main page, www.ceri.memphis.edu. Comprehensive information on activity at Mt. St. Helen's can be found at http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/ (CVO) and http://www.pnsn.org/ (PNSN).
Contact Gary Patterson (glpttrsn@memphis.edu) for further information on the CERI deployment at Mt. St. Helens.
