The eruption of lava from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano might have you wondering about Washington state's own volcanoes. State emergency officials and volcanologists are holding a Reddit AMA from 1-3 p.m.
This event is over, but you can read the more than 300 questions and comments here.
No, the ongoing rampage at Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano won’t trigger eruptions at Mount Rainier or other Cascades volcanoes. But the spectacle of lava fountains and spatter bombs shooting into the air while rivers of molten rock devour neighborhoods on the Big Island naturally raises questions about the 800-mile-long chain of volcanoes on the West Coast, including Washington’s Mount St. Helens, voted “most likely to erupt next” by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Experts will be available to answer those questions this afternoon.
As part of Volcano Preparedness Month in Washington, the state’s emergency management division is hosting a Reddit AMA from 1-3 p.m. Volcanologists from the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory will join emergency-preparedness managers to discuss all things volcanic, from the local threat of volcanic mudflows, called lahars, to the differences between the Pacific Northwest’s more explosive, cone-shaped volcanoes and the low-slung shield volcanoes that form the Hawaiian archipelago.
“We do have five active volcanoes in our state,” said Brian Terbush, earthquake and volcano coordinator at Washington EMD. “Especially with Hawaii erupting right now, it’s a good opportunity for people to understand what the hazards might be and how to find information.
“We haven’t had a significant eruption here since 1980, but it’s possible we could have one start at any time,” Terbush added. “Hawaii took people by surprise.”