Unified Interior Regions
Washington
Washington's Puget Sound is a complex ecosystem directly adjacent to a robust metropolitan area that scientists from the USGS Western Fisheries Research Center study. Recent surveys have looked at juvenile surf smelt, a key link in the food web that are consumed by predators such as salmon, orca, and many marine birds.
Western Fisheries Research Center
Research at the WFRC focuses on the environmental factors responsible for the creation, maintenance, and regulation of fish populations including their interactions in aquatic communities and ecosystems.
Go to CenterWashington Water Science Center
The Water Science Center's mission is to collect, analyze and disseminate the impartial hydrologic data and information needed to wisely manage water resources for the people of the United States and the State of Washington.
Go to CenterStates L2 Landing Page Tabs
Preliminary report on the underground waters of Washington
Landes, HenryGeology and water resources of a portion of Yakima County, Washington
Smith, George OtisA reconnaissance in southeastern Washington
Russell, Israel CookLava dome in Mount St. Helens' crater, Aug. 1981, viewed from a pho...
In this view the dome is 535 feet (163 meters) high and nearly 1/4 mile (0.4 kilometers) wide, making it taller than a 44-story building (or, nearly the height of the Washington Monument) and wider than the length of four football fields. Compare with image taken August 12, 1985 from the same location with the same camera.
Seismic station installation in Mount St. Helens's crater 1981 lava do
Seismic station installation in Mount St. Helens's crater 1981 lava dome. USGS, in conjunction with the University of Washington, maintain seismic stations at Mount St. Helens. An increase in seismicity (earthquakes) is often the first precursor to an approaching eruption.
Seismic station installation in Mount St. Helens's crater 1982
The U.S. Geological Survey, in conjunction with the University of Washington, maintain seismic stations at Mount St. Helens. An increase in seismicity (earthquakes) is often the first precursor to an approaching eruption.
Lahars originating from Mount St. Helens after the 1980 eruption de...
Lahars originating from Mount St. Helens after the 1980 eruption destroyed more than 200 homes and over 185 miles (300 kilometers) of roads. Pictured here is a damaged home along the South Fork Toutle River.
Dome within Mount St. Helens crater (aerial view) from June 1981 wi...
Between 1980 and 1986, Mount St. Helens' dome grew in different ways. From 1980 through 1982 the dome grew in periodic extrusions of stubby lava flows, called lobes. During this time frame Mount St. Helens' lobes grew at a rate of 3 to 10 feet per hour (1-3 meters/hour).
Dredging of the Toutle River after the Mount St. Helens 1980 erupti...
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers preformed dredging projects on the Toutle, Cowlitz, and Columbia Rivers and by 1987 enough material had been removed to build a 12 lane highway, one-foot thick from New York, NY to San Francisco, CA.
Lava dome growing within the Mount St. Helens crater reaches 34 m (...
This October dome was taller than a nine-story building and wider than the length of three football fields. This dome was not the first dome to grow in the crater. In June and August 1980, two domes formed, only to be blasted away by the explosive events of July 22 and October 16.
Lahars resulting from the May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens...
Nearly 135 miles (220 kilometers) of river channels surrounding the volcano were affected by the lahars of May 18, 1980. A mudline left behind on trees shows depths reached by the mud.
Bear tracks found on Mount St. Helens in an ash and pumice deposite...
Many smaller animals, such as gophers, mice, frogs, fish, and insects were hibernating below ground or under water on May 18, 1980, and they survived the blast. Larger animals such as bear (whose tracks are shown here), elk, deer, and coyotes have been moving back into the area as their food supplies increase.
Spirit Lake and the devastated forest area surrounding Mount St. He...
This lake was once surrounded by lush forest and is within the area devastated by the directed blast, covered by ash and tephra, then inundated by pyroclastic flows. Remnants of the forest float on the surface of the lake. Mount Rainier (4,392 m or 14,410 ft) is in the distance. The view is from the south.
The slopes of Smith Creek valley, east of Mount St. Helens, show tr...
The direction of the blast, shown here from left to right, is apparent in the alignment of the downed trees. Over four billion board feet of usable timber, enough to build 150,000 homes, was damaged or destroyed.
Muddy River bridge destruction from May 18, 1980 Mount St. Helens
Muddy River bridge crossing destruction from May 18, 1980 Mount St. Helens lahars.
Western Fisheries Research Center
Research at the WFRC focuses on the environmental factors responsible for the creation, maintenance, and regulation of fish populations including their interactions in aquatic communities and ecosystems.
Go to CenterWashington Water Science Center
The Water Science Center's mission is to collect, analyze and disseminate the impartial hydrologic data and information needed to wisely manage water resources for the people of the United States and the State of Washington.
Go to Center