Rewind | Q&A on Mt. St. Helens: past, present and future

Join Seattle Times reporter Lynda Mapes, UW Department of Earth and Space Sciences Professor Terry Swanson, and a member of the initial search and rescue operation, Doug McClelland, for a live Q&A at 1:30 p.m. May 19 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Mount St. Helens eruption. The blast killed 57 people, destroyed 230 square miles of forest and left a gaping crater in place of the mountain's once cone-shaped summit.

We will be looking at the past, present and future: discussing the eruption, the wildlife rebirth and potential dangers of Pacific Northwest volcanoes. Much has changed on St. Helens during the past 30 years: Flora and fauna have returned to the blast zone, a volcanic dome has begun to form in the crater and seismic sensing equipment can now track with near-pinpoint precision the ground deformation that signals magma movement. But dangers still lurk in the volcanic behemoths that dot our landscape.

Our panelists will take questions during the chat. Submit questions in our reader feedback forum or in the above CoverItLive window.

Terry Swanson

Swanson has been a member of the UW faculty since 1994 and teaches courses in introductory geology, environmental geology, glacial geology, paleoclimate reconstructions and graduate-level teaching methods. His research interests include glacial geology of the Pacific Northwest, cosmogenic isotope dating and geomorphology.

Doug McClelland

As a member of the Search and Rescue Dog Association, McClelland searched for victims immediately after the eruption. This group of volunteers located four victims of the blast. Doug is now a manager for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.