Mount St. Helens spews steam, ash

The volcano spits out a 7-mile high plume, in its first eruption since waking up from an 18-year slumber last October. Photos: Mount St. Helens awakens

Reuters

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April 8, 2005 9:00 a.m. PT

2 min read

Washington state's Mount St. Helens erupted and spewed steam and ash nearly 7 miles into the air on Wednesday, in its first eruption since waking up from an 18-year slumber last October, according to the government agency monitoring the volcano.

The active volcano, which erupted in 1980 and killed 57 people, had mostly remained subdued since erupting several times about four months ago, but it came back to life at around 5:30 p.m. Pacific time, the U.S. Geological Survey said in a statement.

Lava moving into the crater created after the 1980 blast has so far pushed the lava dome within the crater up by about 500 feet, the agency said.

Government scientists have said that they do not expect any violent eruptions similar to the 1980 explosion, which destroyed 200 homes and blew off the top of the mountain, reducing the summit to 8,364 feet from 9,677 feet.

Instead, they say Mount St. Helens will continue to grow, in a phase similar to one in 1986 that consisted of a series of eruptions and lava dome building.

In the years since the 1980 eruption, scientists have worked to develop better methods for monitoring volcanoes. GPS, or Global Positioning System, technology lets researchers measure how the ground around Mount St. Helens shifts. Other efforts include using digital seismometers to monitor different regions to get a heads-up on potential trouble spots.

Additionally, some peaks are monitored by Webcams. One such "volcanocam" monitors Mount St. Helens from Johnson Ridge Observatory.

Mount St. Helens is located in southwestern Washington state, about 100 miles south of Seattle, and 50 miles north of a busy airport at Portland, Ore.