Do You Remember The Big Blast 33 Years Ago?

Saturday is the 33rd anniversary of the Mount Saint Helens eruption.

Seismologists say ever since the big eruption the volcano has been relatively quiet. Seismologist Seth Moran at the Cascades Volcano Observatory says that’s not an indication that something isn’t happening below the mountain. Saint Helens was active for six years after the 1980 blast. It reawakened again from 2004 to 2008, until it fell back to sleep. But Moran says the mountain could wake up at anytime the reason why they still constantly monitor the mountain.

“It’s a live system even when it appears to be not doing anything at the surface.” In the future, scientists are hoping they can use technology to improve the prediction of volcanic eruptions. The lead time currently can be just days.

It’s hoped magnetic fields could be used to see the magmatic system deep below Mount Saint Helens. The additional imaging could give a lot more lead time for eruptions.