Stories by Dana Hunter

Remember when we poked some gentle fun at Hollywood and 'splained that most lava flows are so slow that you can outwalk them? I wish I'd known about this video back then, because it shows how even pahoehoe flows - you know, that thin, runny stuff - are often so ridiculously slow that an elderly sloth could escape their wrath. But it's not like they're not powerful! In this video, you'll see how powerful lava is. I especially loved the tree roots asploding. Pay close attention to the chain link fence as it burns - this stuff is so hot it sets metal afire! Also parking lots, tires and buildings. And the lavafalls - spectacular!

Seattle's not only a lovely city, it's got gorgeous parks and some bonza geology tucked away just about everywhere. Reader Galway asked for interesting places to take kids around here, so this summer, I'll be writing up some of my favorite places for you. Today, we're going to visit Seward Park, which has got some of Seattle's only bedrock exposures, some bonza glacial erratics, and a genuine earthquake scarp. There's a lot of non-geology science there, too, so you should be able to find something to please everyone.

So, you know those disaster movies where volcanoes explode like Mount St. Helens, but also spew fountains of really runny lava like Kilauea on laxatives?

I have really bad news for them, courtesy of Edward Wolfe and Thomas Pierson in Volcanic-Hazard Zonation for Mount St. Helens, Washington, 1995.

Lava flows are destructive but generally not life-threatening because they normally advance so slowly that people can walk or run away from them.

Drat.

Now, a lot of you lately have been not-so-subtly nudging at me to get a book out about Mount Saint Helens. So I have created a not-so-subtle meme for you. You can download it, print it and hang it up in a prominent place

When last we spoke on the subject of fool's gold, I introduced you to several famous people who'd mistaken it for real gold. Imagine how they'd feel if we yanked them out of their respective eras and showed them you actually can get gold out of pyrite. It's just that you need techniques that weren't developed until generations after they were dead. And the gold in it isn't exactly visible to the naked eye.

Oh, hai, it's getting to be that time of year when you've got a greater than 10% chance to actually see Mount St. Helens when you visit! Were you planning a trip to the Pacific Northwest? Wanting to swing by and visit our most explosive attraction? June-October is the time to do it!

You'll want guides, too! I've got some for ye. Best part is, they're totally free! Download them before you go, and make sure you give yourself some time to read up before you arrive. There's so very much to see and do, even if you end up visiting on a day when the volcano itself is hiding behind clouds.

The weather did its best to ruin our plans today, but we defied it mightily. We didn't get a single glimpse of Mount St. Helens - unless you count the 2.5 cubic kilometers of the summit we hiked over.

We took a chance with the weather for you, my darlings, and we are now lodged in a ginormous jacuzzi suite in Castle Rock. Tomorrow, we're hoping our favorite volcano will be visible so we can bring ya'll some great photos. Today, we took the slowest trip we've ever done between Seattle and Castle Rock so we could get a late start (Misha wanted cuddles), wander around Olympia (ZOMG so many waterfalls in the center of the city!), see what pocket gophers hath wrought (mystery: solved!), and wander around Silver Lake near sunset, where all of the birds were magnificent.

For thirty-five years, we've used Mount St. Helens as a laboratory. It's taught us endless lessons on how volcanoes erupt, what those eruptions do to the countryside, and how the environment recovers afterward. We've learned a lot about the warning signs of impending eruptions. We've learned how to recognize debris avalanche and lateral blast deposits. And we've marveled at the beauty of a wounded young mountain building itself back up from the inside.

I’m home, my darlings. I’m so tired I’m about to faceplant into the keyboard, but I shall not sleep until I have posted some pictures for ye!

I’m home, my darlings. I’m so tired I’m about to faceplant into the keyboard, but I shall not sleep until I have posted some pictures for ye!

Greetings from the dry side! B and I crossed the Cascades in search of lotsa lava for you, and we found plenty. Here’s a sneak peek! There’s a delightful juxtaposition between fire and water over here.

The photographs taken by ABC Australia journalist Siobhan Heanue on Saturday, April 25th are eerie. The temple square in Kathmandu is peaceful, filled with people enjoying the beautiful structures, with birds perched on roofs and milling on the pavement.

Happy Earth Day, everybody! Have you paused for a moment and considered what a nifty planet we live on? It’s got all kinds of great stuff!

Bluffs are inherently unstable landforms. They’re gone in a geologic eyeblink, which means they can be dangerous. No matter how solid and stable that big, beautiful bluff looks, be cautious around it.

So what would you do if I said, “Look! I got you some gold!” and handed you a chunk of this? Well, you would look at those lovely well-developed crystal faces, for one.

Do you want to interest young children in geology? Of course you do! Not only is it one of the greatest sciences of all time, and even one that can be done on other worlds, it gets kids out in the fresh air (and possibly sunshine).

Don’t worry, Mount St. Helens isn’t exploding right at the moment (*sadface*). But if you’ll step into the Vulcan Mark III TimeMachine with me, we’ll go watch her wake up!

At the age of 105, Inge Lehmann (1888-1993) looked back on a long, productive life with satisfaction. During her career in seismology, she had made two major discoveries and made other significant contributions.

It’s our final (for now) installment of Women in Geoblogging. Oh, there will be more – I’ll be doing a follow-up for the blogs I’ve missed!

I’ve got more Women in the Geoblogosphere goodness for ye today, my darlings! Settle in for science!

Women in Geoblogging Week continues with some brilliant posts from old friends and new. Settle in for moar great earth science writing! Letters from Gondwana by Fernanda Castano Fernanda Castano’s a paleontology student at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentena.

There are so many great geoblogs by women, and we’re working our way down the list. There’s quite a diverse collection today! GeoMika and SpaceMika by Mika McKinnon These two blogs by Mika McKinnon cover a huge variety of geoscience topics, and definitely put the science in science fiction!

Yesterday, I gave you a ginormous list of women geobloggers. Let us now explore their blogs. Settle in for some terrific geoscience, my darlings!