American authorities elevated the danger rating around Mount St. Helens in Washington state to level three out of four on 30 September 2004, after a sharp rise in earthquake activity near the volcano raised the probability of an eruption.
Scientists at the US Geological Survey reported tremors occurring four times per minute, with magnitudes between 3.0 and 3.2. A probability analysis by the science team placed the chance of an eruption at 70 percent, though researchers said the timing could range from days to months. A roughly 30 percent chance remained that the activity would simply subside.
The most likely outcome, if an eruption occurred, would be an ash-and-steam event sending material tens of thousands of feet into the air, with volcanic debris potentially reaching up to five kilometers from the crater, mostly to the north. Officials emphasized that any such eruption was not expected to match the catastrophic 1980 blast.
That earlier explosion killed 57 people, destroyed hundreds of square kilometers of land, and blanketed much of the Pacific Northwest in ash, including Portland, Oregon, located about 88 kilometers southwest of the summit. Local schools conducted evacuation drills as a precaution.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in September 2004, in its own words.