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Science 30 September 1983:
Vol. 221. no. 4618, pp. 1381 - 1383
DOI: 10.1126/science.221.4618.1381
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Articles

Eruption Prediction Aided by Electronic Tiltmeter Data at Mount St. Helens

DANIEL DZURISIN 1, JAMES A. WESTPHAL 2, and DANIEL J. JOHNSON 3

1 U.S. Geological Survey, Cascades Volcano Observatory, Vancouver, Washington 98661
2 Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena 91125
3 U.S. Geological Survey, Cascades Volcano Observatory

Telemetry from electronic tiltmeters in the crater at Mount St. Helens contributed to accurate predictions of all six effusive eruptions from June 1981 to August 1982. Tilting of the crater floor began several weeks before each eruption, accelerated sharply for several days, and then abruptly changed direction a few minutes to days before extrusion began. Each episode of uplift was caused by the intrusion of magma into the lava dome from a shallow source, causing the dome to inflate and eventually rupture. Release of magma pressure and increased surface loading by magma added to the dome combined to cause subsidence just prior to extrusion.

Submitted on January 26, 1983
Revised on June 27, 1983


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
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Predicting Eruptions at Mount St. Helens, June 1980 Through December 1982.
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Science 221, 1369-1376
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Deformation Monitoring at Mount St. Helens in 1981 and 1982.
W. W. Chadwick, W. W. CHADWICK JR., D. A. SWANSON, E. Y. IWATSUBO, C. C. HELIKER, and T. A. LEIGHLEY (1983)
Science 221, 1378-1380
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Deep Earthquakes Beneath Mount St. Helens: Evidence for Magmatic Gas Transport?.
C. S. Weaver, C. S. WEAVER, J. E. ZOLLWEG, and S. D. MALONE (1983)
Science 221, 1391-1394
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