We’ve just returned from a trip to the West Coast where I saw lots of new sites.
At the top of my list of new things to see were volcanoes…especially since I’ve been following Mount St. Helens since 1980.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC FEATURED MOUNT SAINT HELENS
For my tenth birthday, my grandparents subscribed me to National Geographic. Hello fellow explorer, George Bailey! 😉
One of the cover stories from the spring of 1980 grabbed my attention: the potential eruption of Mount Saint Helens in Washington!
Constantly monitoring the volcano, the geologists marked evacuation zones.
A month later the mountain exploded, wiping out forests, flooding rivers, and dropping ash to places as far away as my home in San Antonio, Texas.
Watching the events unfold on the news, everything I read in the National Geographic article came to life.
Soon after, National Geographic covered the eruption with all the photos of the eruption and damage.
Despite predictions that the Mount Saint Helens area would remain barren for a very long time, National Geographic published a surprising account a year later, showing the return of life.
Although this stymied Old Earth theorists, Young Earth scientists nodded their heads in confidence.
Since Mount Saint Helen’s eruption caused the quick change of land forms, rerouting of rivers, creation of a petrified forest, quick fossilization, and more, evolutionary theory was debunked.
PLANNING OUR GEOLOGIC TIME TRAVEL
Since we were traveling to northern Oregon to attend the memorial service of my husband’s brother, we also planned a quick trip to San Diego in Southern California to visit his mom in memory care.
Thus, we planned a whirlwind car trip from Northern Oregon to Southern California…almost as adventurous as Maureen O’Hara’s Cab to Canada!
When I asked my preferences for tourist stops, I exclaimed: volcanoes!
Due to limited time, I expressed my hope to see Mount St. Helens from the air as we flew from Northern Virginia to Portland, Oregon.
Happily, I got a window seat with a northern view.
SURROUNDED BY FOUR CASCADE VOLCANOES
As we neared Portland, not one, not two, but three of Washington’s volcanoes came into view!
On the far left is the famed Mount St. Helens (8, 363′), in the center (and furthest away) is Mount Ranier (14,410′), and on the right is Mount Adams (12,281′).
Meanwhile, I spied Oregon’s Mount Hood (11,249′ elevation) looming large through the southern view on my left!
Suddenly surrounded by volcanoes, I had entered the Cascade Mountain Range!
RING OF FIRE
Volcanoes galore, because of the Pacific’s Ring of Fire I had deeply studied in my college geology class.
The Ring of Fire is a geologic tectonic zone that runs along the perimeter of the Pacific Ocean from near the coasts of Australia to Asia to North America to South America.
Each of the continents roughly lie on land masses that float at exceedingly small yet measurable rates, called plates, which result in earthquakes.
Earthquakes result in tsunamis…but I’m getting ahead of myself. Stay tuned for that post!
Tectonic plates move in four major ways:
Interestingly, some tectonic plates spread apart, allowing new land to form, as on the Sinai Peninsula.
Most commonly known are the earthquakes of the San Andreas Fault in Southern California, that occur when the tectonic plates rub against each other.
When tectonic plates push against each other, mountains form, as in the massive Himalayan Mountains.
In the Cascades of Washington and California, volcanic activity results when one tectonic plate subducts, or moves underneath another tectonic plate.
Named for its geological activity, the Ring of Fire along the perimeter of the Pacific Ocean entails two-thirds of earth’s active volcanoes and 90% of the world’s earthquakes.
MOUNT SAINT HELENS
Still considered active, Mount Saint Helens has thankfully quieted down since its last eruption in 2008.
Before its massive 1980 explosion, Mount Saint Helens stood as the fifth highest peak in Washington, at 9677′, sparkling on the Washington skyline due to its eleven snowy and icy glaciers.
Located 98 miles south of Seatle, danger threatened.
After a 4.2 magnitude earthquake in March 1980, the side of the mountain began to bulge a month later, as a result of magma pushing from within, growing at a rate of 5′ per day.
On May 18, a magnitude 5.1 earthquake caused the bulging north face to collapse and the volcano to erupt with the power of 20 megatons of TNT.
Spewing ash for the next nine hours with a force of 440 million tons of TNT, Mount Saint Helens forever changed the surrounding landscape.
Exploding at a speed of 650 miles per hour, entire forests were stripped from the land.
Within 5 years peat bogs formed…which Old Earthers insist takes millions of years to form.
Incidentally, on the anniversary of its eruption this year, I read accounts from two facebook friends who shared their extraordinary experiences that day.
The explosion sounded like a sonic boom…the sky went black…driving or flying in the center of the state impossible due to all the ash that could clog the engines…ash clogged vacuum cleaners in effort to clean homes of the ash…
Continuing to seethe and spew forth for years, Mount Saint Helens finally quieted down in 2008.
However, scientists predict a bigger eruption will eventually occur.
MOUNT RANIER
Meanwhile the largest of Washington’s active volcanoes, Mount Ranier, has 29 glaciers which challenge outdoor enthusiasts, even amidst rumbles.
While carefully monitoring Mount Ranier, scientists document the monthly earthquakes, up to five each month.
Due to their research, geologists have listed Mount Ranier as one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world.
Located only 59 miles from Seattle, this much larger volcano causes concern.
Nevertheless, it continues to beckon outdoor enthusiasts to hike, ski, and camp on its slopes.
MOUNT ADAMS
Near these giants of explosive expectations lies another active volcano, Mount Adams, the second largest peak in Washington,
Last erupting 1,000 years ago, Mount Adams, like the other Cascade volcanoes, entices tourists for recreational outdoorsmanship.
MOUNT HOOD
Located 50 miles east of Portland lies Mount Hood, the tallest mountain in Oregon, twelve glaciers.
With its last eruption in 1781, Mount Hood is listed as potentially active, despite the quiet inference that it is dormant.
Meanwhile Mount Hood’s 12 glaciers and snowy slopes continue to draw skiers and hikers to explore its beauty.
Since we’d be about 30 miles from Mount Hood for the next couple of days, I hoped for a great view and snap of the majestic volcano and discover and tidbits from the Lewis and Clark Trail. Stay tuned!
