RESORT STAYS COOL OVER VOLCANO THREAT; MAMMOTH RESIDENTS SEE RISK AS MOLEHILL.

Byline: Jennifer Knight Daily News Staff Writer

Not much rattles the nerves of veteran skier Cort Palmer, a La Canada Flintridge man who has skied Mammoth Mountain for decades. Even the threat of a dormant volcano erupting beneath his favorite ski resort won't stop him from enjoying the perfect snow conditions.

``I don't think there's any more danger going there than there is of having an earthquake happening here,'' Palmer said as he snapped into a new set of boots at a San Fernando Valley ski shop recently.

He is right.

The risk of Mammoth Mountain erupting after some 250 years of dormancy now stands at about one in 200, a little lower than the risk of an 8.0-magnitude quake hitting Los Angeles, said David Hill, a geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey.

``Driving on the highway is a bigger risk, but is a risk we accept. But, how many people were killed (by) volcanoes this century? Fifty or so.'' he said.

Still, the threat of a volcanic eruption has loomed for years over the town of Mammoth - and has increased in recent months. Adding to the concern are the recent swarms of quakes, between 150 to 250 recorded this past weekend.

The town is built on a caldera, a depression formed by a volcanic eruption 760,000 years ago. In recent months, that depression has gradually moved two inches higher. These changes, coupled with recent seismic activity and the release of gases, has triggered the USGS to place the city on ``green alert,'' the lowest stage of warning for a volcanic eruption.

``It could be a matter of days, it could be a matter of weeks. We just don't know,'' said Hill.

Mammoth officials have already prepared for the worst by creating an emergency plan and are keeping close tabs on USGS reports of volcanic activity.

That is making a lot of Mammoth visitors rest easy.

Buddy Strickland, a resident of 16 years, said he isn't worried.

``I think we're pretty prepared here,'' he said. ``To tell you the truth, I don't think it's going to happen in my lifetime.''

Although there is the inevitable comparison with the catastrophic, widespread eruption of Washington state's Mount St. Helens in 1980, Hill said he is confident that Mammoth will not erupt in the same way.

``If something happened, it would occur more likely on a small to moderate scale.''

If lava erupted from Mammoth, it would move no faster than a brisk walk, Hill said.

The reason is that Mammoth has several vents as compared to Mount St. Helens, which only had a single cone-shaped vent. Because there are several vents, the good news is it's likely to relieve more pressure. The bad news is, when it blows, there's no telling where it will come up, Hill said.

The most recent 4.5 temblor Feb. 17 didn't stop most people from enjoying their R & R.

Burbank resident Caesar Guyot, who was vacationing at Mammoth when the temblor hit, seemed unconcerned. ``I didn't feel that it was any danger. My family was up there. After the '94 earthquake, I can take anything,'' he said.

The more than 25,000 people who have visited the nation's second most-popular resort since the start of the ski season in November don't feel that they are in harm's way either.

``In the end, Mammoth skiers are `true blue,' they're not going to miss out because of something that may happen 150 years from now,'' said Jennifer Renner, Mammoth Mountain's community manager.

Most businesses are booming, despite the threat of a volcano. Ski lift ticket sales are up 11 percent from last year, Renner said, and she expects that will continue.

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