Scientists to share lessons learned since 1980 eruption

Washington State University Vancouver will present a series of Monday evening seminars and public events where scientists will discuss what has been learned since the May 18, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens.

The events have been planned to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the volcano’s 1980 blast, which flattened more than 150 square miles of surrounding forest. Over the last 25 years, Mount St. Helens has proved to be a remarkable laboratory for the study of earth processes and their influence on ecosystems surrounding the volcano.

All seminars — March 21, April 18 and April 25 — will begin at 7 p.m. in the Student Services Building, Room 110. The seminars are free and open to the public.

The following subjects are scheduled for discussion:

March 21 — “Mount St. Helens Seismicity Then and Now: What the last 25 years has taught us about how the volcano works” will be presented by Seth Moran, research seismologist for the U. S. Geological Survey, Cascades Volcano Observatory. Moran will review the 1980-2005 seismic record, with particular emphasis placed on the similarities and differences between seismicity that occurred prior to eruptions of 1980, 2004 and 2005. It will also examine what might have been happening during the quiet period, between 1987 and 2003, and what’s been learned from the 2004 and 2005 eruptions.

April 18 — Researcher Peter Frenzen, a monument scientist and public affairs officer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, will address part one of the day’s presentation titled “Out of the Ash: Survival and Recolonization in a Volcanic Landscape.” Charlie Crisafulli, research ecologist for the USDA, Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station, will address part two, “Mount St. Helens: A Story of Survival and Revival of Life”.

Part one of the presentation will cover the profound and sometimes subtle landscape changes revealed through repeat photographs taken before, just following and during the years following the 1980 eruption. Part two will cover the 1980 eruption that killed or dramatically altered the types and numbers of animals that had been present before the eruption. Over the past quarter century, aquatic and terrestrial animals have undergone a recovery as hundreds of species expanded from surviving populations or invaded the new landscape from distant source populations. By 2005, most vertebrates and thousands of invertebrates had successfully colonized the disturbed area.

April 25 — “Something Extraordinary is Happening in the Crater at Mount St. Helens: Lessons from the 1980-1986 and 2004-2005 Dome-Building Eruptions” will be presented by Dan Dzurisin, geologist for the U. S. Geological Survey, Cascades Volcano Observatory, Vancouver.

For the latest information about upcoming events, visit the Mount St. Helens 25th anniversary Web page at http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/mshnvm/25th-anniversary/index.shtml.

WSU Vancouver is located at 14204 N.E. Salmon Creek Ave., east of the 134th Street exit from either I-5 or I-205. Parking rules are enforced Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Parking is available at parking meters or in the blue lot for $1.75.