Videos

At 11:10 in the morning on November 28, 2005, the active lava delta at East Lae'apuki began to fall into the ocean. This was not a catastrophic collapse, with the entire 34-acre delta going at once, but instead occurred in a piece-meal fashion over a period of just less than 5 hours.

From 2005 to 2010, the U.S. Geological Survey-Cascades Volcano Observatory operated a remote camera on the northwest flank of Mount St. Helens. Looking into the crater, the camera captured hourly photographs of volcanic dome growth during the 2004-2008 eruption.

Events that occurred in the crater during the 2004–2008 eruption were recorded by a network of seven remote, telemetered digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras installed on the crater floor and rim. The resulting time lapse images constitute a valuable and visually compelling record of dome growth and the resulting response of Crater Glacier.

Lava spines continue to emerge onto the crater floor of Mount St. Helens in 2005. By April 2005, spine 4 is broken and pushed away by spine 5.  The nearly vertical spine 5 has a smooth, gouge-covered surface, growing at an average rate of 4.3 meters per day.

Growth and disintegration of lava spines continued at Mount St. Helens through the first 8 months of 2005. Rather than building a single dome-shaped structure, the new dome grew initially as a series of recumbent, smoothly surfaced spines that extruded to lengths of almost 500 m.

Within the crater of Mount St. Helens, the 2004–2008 lava dome grew by continuous extrusion of degassed lava spines. To track growth and anticipate what the volcano might do next, scientists installed monitoring equipment, including a camera and gas sensing instruments, and made helicopter overflights to collect the temperature (FLIR) of the growing dome.

Compilation video of significant events from the dome-building eruption at Mount St. Helens, from October 1, 2004 to March 15, 2005, including steam and ash eruptions, growth of lava spines, helicopter deployment of monitoring equipment, collection of lava samples, and FLIR thermal imaging of rock collapse on lava dome.

By late October 2004, a whaleback-shaped extrusion of solid lava (called a spine) emerged from Mount St. Helens' crater floor. The 2004–2008 lava dome grew by continuous extrusion of degassed lava spines that had mostly solidified at less than 1 km (0.62 mi) beneath the surface.

Following unrest that began on September 23, 2004 and the steam and ash eruptions in early October, extrusion of solid magma typified the 2004-2008 eruption at Mount St. Helens. The magma is unusually gas poor and crystal rich.  Several meters of pulverized, variably sintered rock commonly coat the emergent lava spines, lending them a smooth appearance.

On October 11, 2004, spines of solid, but still hot, lava punctured the surface of the deformed glacier, initiating a new dome-building phase of activity in the crater of Mount St. Helens. By late October, a larger whaleback-shaped extrusion of solid lava (called a spine) emerged from the crater floor.

After two weeks of increasing seismicity, Mount St. Helens began erupting on October 1, 2004. The first of several explosions shot a plume of volcanic ash and gases into the atmosphere. Four additional steam and ash explosions occurred through October 5, and three produced noticeable fallout of fine ash downwind.

On October 1, 2004, an explosion in the crater of Mount St. Helens sent ash and water vapor several thousand feet into the air. It was the dramatic beginning of an eruption that continued for the next 3+ years. The explosion fractured Crater Glacier and hurled rocks for at least one-half mile across the western half of the glacier and the 1980-1986 lava dome.

Animation of the recorded displacements of Atwood Building, Anchorage, Alaska during the M=3.7 Point MacKenzie, Alaska earthquake of 15 Dec. 2003. Displacements are color coded in order to see the propagation of seismic waves in the building during the earthquake. Oblique view.

Animation of the recorded displacements of Atwood Building, Anchorage, Alaska during the M=3.7 Point MacKenzie, Alaska earthquake of 15 Dec. 2003. Displacements are color coded in order to see the propagation of seismic waves in the building during the earthquake. View from top.

Video Presentation and Discussion

Featuring the award-winning USGS video Molten Paradise-Kilaea Volcano by Stephen Wessells, introduced and discussed by Robert I. Tilling, Volcanologist

See-

New Estimates of Earthquake Hazard and Risk Across the Bay Region

By Michael Blanpied, Geophysicist

Fluid lava leaks from inside crusted front of cascade.

Breaking and tumbling crust on slabby flow front.

20 Years of Eruption at Kilauea and Waiting for Mauna Loa

by Don Swanson,Volcanologist, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory

Deep Drilling to Test Fundamental Theories About Faulting and Earthquakes

By Stephen H. Hickman, Geophysicist

New Mapping Techniques Reveal Potential Seismic Sources Beneath Seattle

By Richard J. Blakely, Geophysicist and Ralph A. Haugerud, Geologist