Tag Archive for: washington

Utah Geological Survey

Mistakes Led to Needless Deaths From Worst Volcanic Blast

Looking at Mount St. Helens in hindsight, and trying to assess the unknown danger of a volcano blast.

news.nationalgeographic.com

Government officials had plenty of time to ensure that everyone was safely evacuated from the area around Mount St. Helens, the Washington State volcano that erupted on May 18, 1980. The mountain had been showing signs that it might blow for months before that fatal Sunday. But logging interests, which owned most of the land around the volcano, were at odds with geologists over how big the danger zone should be. And no one anticipated the strength of the eruption, which spewed 540 million tons of ash into the air and killed 57 people. [Find out why Mount St. Helens is still dangerous.]

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Utah Geological Survey

Catch this NOVA Special on Landslides TONIGHT!

Catch this NOVA special on landslides tonight on KUED Channel 7 at 8:00 tonight.

kued.org

In less than two minutes in March, a one-square-mile field of debris slammed into the Washington state community of Oso, killing 41 and destroying nearly 50 homes. Drawing on analysis of other recent landslides around the world, geologists are investigating what triggered the deadliest U.S. landslide in decades and whether climate change is increasing the risk of similar disasters around the globe.

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Utah Geological Survey

Could a Warning System Save Lives in a Landslide?

news.discovery.com

As President Obama makes his way to Oso, Wash., to tour the devastation from last month’s mudslide and meet with surviving victims and first responders, the disaster has brought renewed interest in early warning systems – which some suggest could have prevented many of the deaths.

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Utah Geological Survey
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Mudslides Explained: Behind the Washington State Disaster

An informative read on mudslides and the contributing natural factors that cause incidents like the recent Washington State mudslide disaster.

news.nationalgeographic.com

A fatal mudslide in rural northwestern Washington State over the weekend underscores the dangers of this fast-moving natural hazard.

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Utah Geological Survey

Stories a Trench Can Tell—Determining St. George Earthquake Threat

Geologists are digging into the Washington fault about three miles south of the Utah-Arizona border in Arizona. “The fault is three miles east of St. George and runs through the nearby city of Washington,” said Bill Lund, UGS senior geologist. “There is evidence of surface rupturing earthquakes. Our goal is to figure out how often the fault has moved and how large the earthquakes have been. That will help us understand the potential for future earthquake activity.”

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