Posts Tagged: "volcano"

Disaster Tech: Volcanic eruptions spur innovations in materials, aircraft engine diagnostics

We return to the question we’ve asked throughout our Disaster Tech series: What are the inventive systems being created in order to mitigate the threat to life posed by our world’s greatest cataclysms… Finding new materials which are far more resistant to heat damage than conventional wooden poles was another focus area for HELCO. To generate ideas, HELCO solicited publicly for ideas and ended up designing a new utility pole material with input from teams at the University of Hawaii at Hilo and the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO). That design closely resembled an engineering concept dreamt up by high schoolers at the Hawaii Academy of Arts & Sciences (HAAS), a design which the school submitted to HELCO during the Pahoa lava threat. Both techniques involve wrapping a utility pole with materials having heat resistant and dispersive properties that can stand up to the 2,000°F+ temperatures generated by lava; the HAAS students conceived of a cement sleeve reinforced with rebar and reaching 15 feet in height. Within the sleeve exists a couple of cardboard cylinders which surround a flame retardant foam. The work of the student team was officially recognized by HELCO when they announced the development of its own lava-resistant utility pole design.

Steve Brachmann

May 29, 2016

Mount St. Helens sees increased seismic activity as anniversary of eruption nears

This year, May 18th will mark the 36th anniversary of the eruption of Mount St. Helens, an active stratovolcano situated in Washington State’s Skamania County and part of the Cascade Range of mountains. The upcoming anniversary looks like it’s shaping up to be a special one for this major volcano, which is no longer dormant. A recent weekly update on seismic activity measured at the Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO), produced by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), reports a “continued pattern of slightly elevated seismicity” at Mount St. Helens. This seismic activity has been going on for about two months. More than 130 earthquakes ranging in depth from 1.2 miles to 4 miles have been detected in the region since March 13th by the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network (PNSN). Most of the earthquakes measure a magnitude of 0.5 or less but their frequency has been stunning, with as many as 40 earthquakes per week, which has led scientists to believe that the volcano may be recharging even if it won’t erupt any day soon.

Steve Brachmann

May 17, 2016