Did the Kobe earthquake cause a tsunami?

Answer 1

No. However a volcanic eruption can cause a tsunami.

Answer 2

There was a tsunami formed by the May 18, 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens. The tsunami was generated at Spirit Lake, just north of Mt. St. Helens. The tsunami occurred due to the failure of the north flank of the volcano, this massive land slide went directly into Spirit Lake, and generated a very large tsunami. The tsunami however, was the least of the destruction, and there is no known surviving witness from the area. The area, moments after the landslide and tsunami, was hit with the lateral pyroclastic blast from the triggered eruption of the volcano. The pyroclastic blast extended to around 13 miles north of the volcano, blanketing and destroying everything in its path.

Answer 3

The massive collapse of the North Flank of Mt. St. Helens was triggered by several factors that were at work at the time.

First and foremost was the fact that there was a rather large Cryptodome on the north face of the volcano. This dome was the result of magma that was being forced into the neck of the volcano pushing out the north side in an effort of finding a place to go. As the dome on the north side grew the volcano became less and less stable.

The second factor that was involved was the building pressure present under the dome. The deformation although very important to the process that occurred, could not cause the flank failure in and of itself. The pressure and presence of magma under the surface allowed the rock to further destabilize through changing the structure of the rock supporting the face.

The final factor and the cause of the flank collapse itself was the earthquake that actually triggered the collapse. The earthquake was a 5.1 magnitude quake at a very shallow depth directly below the north face itself.

None of these factors in and of themselves could have caused the flank collapse that also triggered the eruption; however, all together they were able to cause the catastrophic failure of the north flank.

Answer 4

Though Mount St. Helens 1980 Eruption did generate seismic movement felt hundreds of miles away it did not generate a tsunami. The volcano is over 100 miles from the coast.

Answer 5

A landslide freed gases and forced the rock to give way, and it exploded.

Answer 6

No