A small explosive eruption of Mount St. Helens on October 1st; the first in more than a decade—followed a week of increasing earthquake activity beneath the volcano and deformation of the lava dome. This eruption sent a steam and minor ash plume to an altitude of about 10,000 feet above sea level. Image Credit:  USGS

Friday's eruption was the first in 18 years, and geophysicist Evelyn Roeloffs of the U.S. Geological Survey says it was well below the levels of the devastating event of 1980. She says ground movement should provide warning if a larger eruption occurs.

"We were not envisioning a major eruption at this point, so it's possible that this is all that's going to happen. However, we're not going to presume that, and we certainly are pretty sure that we're not going to have anything else happening without some more increased seismic activity."

Major eruptions of Mount Saint Helens in May 1980, blew off the top of the mountain, destroying 200 homes and flattening the foliage for many kilometers. Fifty-seven people, including loggers, campers, reporters and scientists, lost their lives. Volanic dust was scattered over much of the northwestern United States, disrupting commerce.

Many trails and campgrounds in the area have been closed in recent days, but onlookers have flocked to a volcano observatory just eight kilometers from the crater. Officials worry that if a larger eruption occurs, it could cloud the skies with dust and ash and possibly disrupt air traffic in the region.

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