Magma at Mount St. Helens
I haven't blogged about our volcano recently but that doesn't mean it is not active and recently, it's activity has been changing from repetitive steam and ash bursts to something very very new. Magma flow reaching the surface.
As
CNN reports:
bq. Volcanic rock has flowed to the surface of Mount St. Helens' crater, creating a new lava dome after weeks of seismic activity, a geologist said Tuesday.
bq. Scientists had known for days that magma or molten rock was nearing the surface, as a bulge grew on the south side of the existing 1,000-foot lava dome and the increasingly hot rock gave off steam as it met water and ice in the crater. The bulge is now considered a new lava dome, the scientists said.
bq. "Now that we have new lava at the surface, we're comfortable saying" that dome-building has resumed at the volcano, U.S. Geological Survey geologist Tina Neal said.
bq. The bulge had risen at least 330 feet since scientists noticed it September 30.
Posted by DaveH at October 12, 2004 9:44 PM