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Eruption prediction aided by electronic tiltmeter data at Mount St. Helens

January 1, 1983

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.

Publication Year 1983
Title Eruption prediction aided by electronic tiltmeter data at Mount St. Helens
Authors D. Dzurisin, J.A. Westphal, Daniel J. Johnson
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title Science
Index ID 70012114
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse