Mount Saint Helens – A Quiet Eruption
The current eruption at Mount Saint Helens is now in its 15th month and no large plumes of ash have risen from the summit in the last 9 months. However, hot (and solid) rock are still being squeezed out of the summit at roughly one cubic yard every second. The Chicago Tribune has an article talking about the ongoing eruption.
Each second, about a cubic yard of new mountain–roughly a pickup truck’s worth–is pushed to the surface, adding to a dome growing in the crater.
In earlier months, the cylinder of new rock, which is about 200 yards in diameter, toppled to the side as it rose. Now, the new rock is buried beneath earlier material and just pushes up the entire hill.
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