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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (May 18, 2005)
Mure May 18, 2005 ^Ì^LACKAMASPf^fif *9 pact still remains ¡day marks anniversary of Mount . Helens' 1980 eruption mra Cameron Clackamas Print JnMay 18 in 1980, at 8:31 in horning, Mount St. Helens [still the mountain that had I to be called “America’s ■Fuji.” A nearly perfect I St. Helens had for years I a popular place for hik- lamping and other outdoor lilies. Pristine forest blan- I its lower slopes and the finding hills; on clear days fountain was reflected in Hear blue waters of Spirit ■ minute later, Mount St. Hns changed forever. 18:32 a.m., an earthquake juring 5.1 on the Richter ¡rocked Mount St. Helens, quake triggered a massive lide, one of the largest in rded history. he whole north face of the ano collapsed, suddenly sing the gas-rich magma had been forcing its way nder the mountain to much ;rpressure. The magma and Bunding rocks exploded, ting a dense, fast-moving d of superheated ash, rocks gas called' a pyroclastic koclastic flows can roar n off a mountain at speeds ¡cess of 150 miles per houf; second, superheated ava- he overtook the collaps- north face in a matter of nds. . The heat of the erup- mclted the glaciers on St. ms, triggering a series of anic mudflows, or lahars, flowed down every river ;m connected to the moun- and reached as far as the pnbia. The eruption of May 18 is often referred to as the “cata strophic eruption,” and it’s easy to see why. Ash from the erup tion fell in measurable quantity in 11 U.S. states; the ash cloud itself circled the globe within a matter of days. Hundreds of acres of forest were leveled by the tremendous lateral blast. Landslide debris filled Spirit Lake, leaving it reshaped and nearly 200 feet higher than before. The lahars caused massive flooding and fouled the shipping channel in the Columbia. 57 people were killed in the eruption, including United States Geological Survey employee David Johnston, whose last words, radioed fran tically back to the USGS base in Vancouver, were simply: “Vancouver! Vancouver! This is it.” That was 25 years ago today. In the quarter-century since the famous eruption, other forces have wrought changes on the mountain and the debris slope that was once the north face. These changes, while slower than the ones made on May 18, have been nearly as incredible, and have given scientists the world over a unique Chance to observe how nature heals itself. The blast zone and debris slope, described as looking like “a war zone” or “the surface of the Moon” after the eruption, are gaining their old ecology back faster than was antici pated. Where once there was only bare, grey ash, now flow ers bloom in the spring and elk browse on healthy shrub bery. Johnston Ridge—named in honor of the man who died there-—is accessible to the pub lic and houses the Johnston Ridge Interpretive Center. The Interpretive Center is full of interactive and fascinat ing exhibits and will teach one more than one ever thought pos sible to know about St. Helens. On clear days, the observa tion deck provides a truly spec tacular view across the debris slope and up into the crater—so if you ever go, be sure to take a camera! The whole area was made into the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument in 1982 for the purpose of pre serving the area for scientific study, so you are asked to stay on designated trails and to not remove any material from the monument. As if in honor of its own anniversary last fall, Mount St. Helens reminded us that she is the most active of the Cascade volcanoes by giving off sev eral minor eruptions of steam and ash. A massive new dome has also formed in the cra ter, splitting the newly-formed Horseshoe Glacier in half and sending local volcanologists into fits of glee. Activity con tinues, with the dome growing at a rate of around five feet per day. It is humbling to think of the forces that changed Mount St. Helens 25 years ago today; such massive destruction and cre ation is well beyond the reach of humans without the help of atomic weaponry. One is left awestruck by the sheer power of nature and the incredible, unexpected beauty that power has wrought. 25 years to the day that the face of a mountain was changed forever, we should count our selves lucky that we live where such things can be experi enced. A quarter of a century ago today, Mount St. Helens erupt ed, flowing hot magma and scattering ash over 11 states. eeGeek doles out free computers Sexc/vd Reproductive ike Guidice HetJithoAre i Clackamas Print ■reeGcek. com’s slogan is, ■ping the needy get nerdy since ■ beginning of the 3rd millen- ■reegeek.com is a non profit ■nization that recycles used ■puter technology and provides ■le from around the world with ■ to no-cost computers. The was founded in 2000, and e its inception has recycled 360 tons of electronic scrap 11 and remodeled over 3,000 Suters. lost of the work is done by vol- ers who dissemble the donated computers and test all the compo nents. The metal pieces are either recycled as electronic scrap or put into refurbished new machines. In exchange for only 24 hours of one’s time in the recycling center, located in southeast Portland, one can earn a “FreekBox” computer. The computer comes equipped with free software that allows you to do just about anything along the lines of word processing or inter net use. The computer also comes equipped with a basic tutorial on how to use the machine to the full est of its potential. For more information on donat ing your old computer or Other computer-related hardware one might have lying around, simply visit FreeGeek.com. Upon enter ing the site, one will also be pre sented with the option of learning how to build their own computer or earn a PC. So if you’re trying to unload some old computer parts and want to put them to good use, check out FreeGeek’s website. Also, if you’re ballin on a bud get and are in the market for a computer with internet and word processing capabilities, take a min ute to browse their website. Make a difference and help yourself by helping someone else. It doesn’t take much time or effort, and it’s an experience you surely won’t regret; you’ve got nothing to lose, so check it out. 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