Volcano Journal Entry

Mount St. Helens Calms Down (March 17, 2008)

The eruption of Mount St. Helens is over, at least for now. That's the word from the U.S. Geological Survey.

Scientists are lowering the volcano's alert level from "orange" to "yellow." But they'll continue watching the volcano for signs of activity just the same.

The volcano's current active period began in 2004 when a new lava dome started growing at the summit. The growth kept going for more than three years. Now, there's no new magma filling the dome.

Mount St. Helens erupted suddenly and violently in May 1980 after a period of dormancy that lasted over 130 years. The eruption blew the top of the mountain, killing fifty-seven people and destroying everything around it. The blast left a crater over 2,000 feet deep, nearly two miles long, and over a mile wide. A fierce pyroclastic flow scorched everything in its path while a thick blanket of ash covered a huge chunk of the Northwest. Melting snow triggered destructive floods and mudslides.