Dins (and others)

[Dinsdale]

I was just over the West Hills. We went up to Pittock Mansion in the hills to watch the aftermath, where we'd watched smaller eruptions earlier. Was impressive for a while -- but the mass of ash in the air started backing up the wisps of clouds coming in off the ocean, and eventually it became very overcast and dark. Fortunately, the wind was bowing straight from the west, so Yakima and Tri-Cities bore the brunt (to the tune of a few feet of ashfall -- was dark there for a couple of days, and no one could get out). An earlier eruption did blow our way, and it was a freaking mess. The ash stuck around for a few years, and it smelled bad. And scratched up the paint on every car, even just from hosing it off. Before 5/18/1980, we could see the near perfect conical top of St. Helens from the West Side -- after that 1300' went away, not anymore.

I was driving by St. Helens during the last decent eruption (maybe 10 years ago)... no big deal. The others weren't a big deal, except the big explosion. But I'm about 50 miles or so as the crow flies, and nowhere near any of the river drainages that it affects.

One of these days, sooner or later (hopefully much later), Mt. Hood will erupt again (a small one was finishing up when Lewis and Clark went by it). Hopefully when it does, it's a small event. A big eruption would effect hundreds of thousands of people -- and I'm unlikely to be one of them, being a West Side guy. Again, I'm probably about 50 miles or so as the crow flies from the top of Hood. I'm much more worried about a Casciadia earthquake off the coast (which is about due, based on geological records and whatnot -- been 317 years since the last one... Paleface wasn't here then, but the Japanese are quite familiar with the date, since the tsunami killed a whole shitload of them).

Further south, South Sister is the second-most active of the Cascade Volcanoes (after St. Helens). A few years ago, one side of it started bulging pretty quickly, but it's stopped over the last several years. Eugene/Springfield is a long way from there, but a lahar could get ugly.

But I don't think about volcanoes in my day-to-day life. When they start getting earthquake swarms (like St. Helens has recently), I'll start taking a little interest. But when I was just short of 13 years old, watching a mountain I grew up seeing all the time (clearly visible from most parts of Portland proper, particularly the north side of town) open up, spew steam and ash, then explode with the force of a bunch of nuclear bombs was pretty weird. And when it started again 20 years later, I was like "meh. Been there, done that." It's pretty cool to drive up there in summer, though.

[Mikey]

I was nowhere close to Mt. St. Helens blew up.

That being said, it didn't affect me at all.

Still waiting for The Big One here in SoCal.
I have a feeling that it'll be a while before Trump shows up here, though, even though he owns a golf club in Rancho Palos Verdes.

[Dinsdale]

The geologist folks say the Cascadia Subduction Zone can produce earthquakes upwards of 10.0. Estimates of the 1700 quake range from 9.0-9.6 (but we do know the tsunami was about 95').

The disater folks say if that happens, it will be "a disaster the likes of which this country has never seen, nor even imagined"... so I got that going for me.

[Goober McTuber]

The geologist folks say the Cascadia Subduction Zone can produce earthquakes upwards of 10.0. Estimates of the 1700 quake range from 9.0-9.6 (but we do know the tsunami was about 95').

The disater folks say if that happens, it will be "a disaster the likes of which this country has never seen, nor even imagined"... so I got that going for me.

It will still take a back seat to the Trump presidency.

[Goober McTuber]

The geologist folks say the Cascadia Subduction Zone can produce earthquakes upwards of 10.0. Estimates of the 1700 quake range from 9.0-9.6 (but we do know the tsunami was about 95').

The disater folks say if that happens, it will be "a disaster the likes of which this country has never seen, nor even imagined"... so I got that going for me.

It will still take a back seat to the Trump presidency.

Aren't there plenty of other threads for you to cry about that in?

If by crying, you mean laughing hysterically, I'm sure there's lots.

[Goober McTuber]

If by crying, you mean laughing hysterically, I'm sure there's lots.

Whatever you say, lil' guy.

You're catching on, tubby.

[Goober McTuber]

I didn't think you'd figure that out.

That you were catching on? Oh yeah. When that happens, it sticks out like a sore thumb.