Then on May 18, 1980 it happened, 57 people were killed, over 7,000 animals were killed as well. The eruption destroyed entire forest, leaving only brunt tree trunks all flatten in the same direction. The amount of timber destroyed was enough to make 300,000 two-bedroom homes and the mud that traveled down the mountain destroyed about 200 houses and clogging up shipping channels in the Columbia River. The volcano itself change shape, poisonous gas and ash was released from the volcano ash poured down on 15 states within days and gas from the volcano and circled the world. It
Like the other volcanoes found in the Cascade Range, Mt St Helens (MSH) had been dormant for many years. In March 1980 there were signs of an impending eruption, as several earthquakes occurred. However on the 18th March 1980, an earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter Scale rocked the volcano. Within a few seconds of the earthquake, the volcano erupted and the whole northern side of the volcano collapsed causing the largest known landslide in US history. This pulverised rock, glacier ice and ash wiped out all living
Before the eruption of May, 1980, the elevation at the top of Mount St. Helens was about 3 km. Mount St. Helens is a composite volcano (or stratovolcano), a term for steep sided, often symmetrical cones constructed of alternating layers of lava flows, ash, and other volcanic debris. Composite volcanoes tend to erupt explosively and pose considerable danger to nearby life and property. Mount St. Helens last eruption was from October 2004 to
Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream. The Laki eruption wasn’t really a single event, but rather 8 months’ worth of lava flows and explosions that ejected an astounding 14.7 km cubed of ballistic lava that came out of 140 vents. The eruption was caused by small earthquakes that were hardly detected by the seismometers the eruption caused a gigantic amount of smog and poisonous gasses to envelope Iceland in a matter of days which caused at least 10,000-15,000 deaths in Iceland alone. Consequences in Iceland Affects of a volcanic eruption An estimated 20–25% of the population died in the famine and fluoride poisoning after the fissure eruptions ceased. Around 80% of sheep, 50% of cattle and 50% of horses died because of
The amount of shaking correlates with rupture depth. The closer the rupture is to the surface, the stronger the shaking. Motion along the southern edge of the fault was predominantly dip slip, leading to an increment of uplift of the mountain range and subsidence of the Sichuan basin. Facts: Thirty times more powerful than the earthquake that devastated Kobe, Japan in 1995, the Sichuan earthquake lasted for about 80 seconds and caused the ground surface to shift about seven meters near the epicenter of the quake. Many Chinese refer to its as the
A relief team reported 20 villages destroyed and the death total could pass 4000. Destroyed road communications and transport this stopped the aid from coming in. 10 000 people were injured and 15000 were mad homeless .Later in 1988 the region was hit by another earthquake which killed a further 300 people. How was the event managed? It took 4 days for a relief team to reach the area.
The run-off from higher elevation combined with melt water from lower elevation was so forceful it broke levees and caused one of the most damaging floods the region has ever seen. The West Walker River caused extensive damage in Topaz, Coleville, California, Wellington and Nevada. It’s estimated that twelve miles of US Highway 395 have been destroyed and are going to be closed for around seven months! In Yerington and in the Mason Valley nearly 500 homes have been damaged and public and private property damaged substantially. Floodwaters deposited debris on Farmland and Damaged irrigation gates, ditches and canals.
The tremendous eruption of Mount Tambora in April 1815 was the most powerful volcanic eruption of the 19th century. The eruption and the tsunamis it triggered killed tens of thousands of people. And the magnitude of the explosion is difficult to fathom. It has been estimated that Mount Tambora stood approximately 12,000 feet tall before the 1815 eruption, and the top 4,000 feet of the mountain was completely obliterated. Adding to the disaster's massive scale, the huge amount of dust blasted into the upper atmosphere by the Tambora eruption contributed to a bizarre and highly destructive weather event the following year.
St. Helens is a very closely monitored volcano due to its previous eruptions. It is one the most seismically active volcanoes in the Washington and Oregon Cascades. Since establishing a full seismic monitoring network in 1980 the millions of
The main eruption then came with 4-5million m3 of material being released, including a massive ash cloud. An airport was destroyed in the process as well as 19 people being killed. The total cost of this eruption was estimated to be around £1.4 billion. In terms of managemtent, little occurred.