October 08, 2004

Mount St. Helens May be Heading for the Big One

Seattle's KIRO:

Scientists said the earthquakes and explosions at Mount St. Helens could lead to an eruption as powerful as the one in 1980, KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reported.

The volcano reportedly spewed more steam overnight, but earthquakes continued to be fairly light, striking about once a minute and registering about magnitude one.

Meanwhile, the speculation continued about what exactly is happening underneath the mountain.

Scientists said part of the lava dome in the volcano's crater has risen 50 to 100 feet since Tuesday, a sign -- along with mild earthquake activity -- that molten rock may be moving toward the surface without much resistance.

Live picture of Mount St. Helens and links to live video here.

By Rusty Shackleford, Ph.D. at 03:40 PM | |