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While earthquakes, steam and magma are getting all the attention on Mount St. Helens these days, the volcano's most unusual feature could be the icy epitome of slow motion that has sprouted on its flanks in the last two decades: its glacier.
The 1980 eruption that blew the top off Mount St. Helens also destroyed its 13 glaciers, but by 1982, the crater floor had cooled enough to allow snow to begin to stick. Now, even as the volcano stirs to life, the nation's newest glacier is growing between the lava dome and the crater's south wall.
At a time when most of the nation's glaciers are receding, this one has advanced as much as 135 feet annually, flowing downhill toward the blasted north edge of the crater like a muffler draped around the neck of the lava dome.
www.nbcnews.com
The 1980 eruption that blew the top off Mount St. Helens also destroyed its 13 glaciers, but by 1982, the crater floor had cooled enough to allow snow to begin to stick. Now, even as the volcano stirs to life, the nation's newest glacier is growing between the lava dome and the crater's south wall.
At a time when most of the nation's glaciers are receding, this one has advanced as much as 135 feet annually, flowing downhill toward the blasted north edge of the crater like a muffler draped around the neck of the lava dome.
Mount St. Helens home to young glacier
The 1980 eruption that blew the top off Mount St. Helens has given rise to the nation’s newest glacier, an ice field steadily growing between the volcano's lava dome and south crater wall.
www.nbcnews.com
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