Mt. St. Helens 2004

Eric Tolen and Bobbie Netling watch the eruption of steam and ash from Mount St. Helens Tuesday, March 8, 2005, from a viewpoint in Rainier, Ore. Mount St. Helens released a towering plume of ash Tuesday, its most significant emission in months but one that seismologists did not believe heralded any major eruption.

March 2005

An eruption from Mount St. Helens is seen Tuesday, March 8, 2005, in Mount St. Helens, Wash. Mount St. Helens released a towering plume of ash on Tuesday, marking the most spectacular eruption in months.

March 2005

A plume of ash from Mount St. Helens and the glow of molten rock from the new dome is shown Tuesday, March 8, 2005, in Mount St. Helens, Wash.

March 2005

Spectators crowd vantage points around Portland, Ore., Tuesday, March 8, 2005, to watch the eruption of Mount St. Helens which sent a plume of steam and ash into the atmosphere. It was the most significant emission in months but one that seismologists did not believe heralded any major eruption.

October 2004

Birch Frosh, of Seattle, watches Mount St. Helens erupt from a viewing area at Coldwater Ridge Vistor Center, Oct. 5, 2004. The volcano began venting a daily dose of steam and ash Oct. 1, and scientists warned it could blow at any moment. They said it would carry enough force to endanger lives and property, but there was hardly any chance of a repeat of its cataclysmic 1980 eruption.

October 2004

A hole is shown following a morning eruption at Mount St. Helens, Oct. 4, 2004.

October 2004

Mount St. Helens, hazy with blowing ash from two recent eruptions, stands silent as Oregon's Mount Hood dominates the horizon, Oct. 3, 2004.

October 2004

Mount St. Helens looms over Spirit Lake, still full of debris from the volcano's 1980 eruption, Oct. 3, 2004.

October 2004

Onlookers watch Mount St. Helens for signs of seismic activity, Oct. 3, 2004, at Castle Lake Viewpoint.

October 2004

Peter Frenzen, far left, monument scientist for the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, takes questions from reporters, Oct. 3, 2004, at the Castle Lake Viewpoint.

October 2004

Mount St. Helens is seen against a star-filled sky, in this long-exposure photograph taken Oct. 3, 2004.

October 2004

Mike Snow, of Seattle, sets up his tripod on the roof of his car to get a picture of Mount St. Helens along Spirit Lake Memorial Highway near the Coldwater Visitors Center, Oct. 2, 2004.

October 2004

Kiki Kreofski, of Boring, Ore., wears a dust mask as she stands holding a flower with Mount St. Helens behind her, Oct. 2, 2004.

October 2004

Mount St. Helens erupts, Oct. 1, 2004, in Washington state.

October 2004

With spectators yelling and hooting at the Johnston Ridge Observatory, Mount St. Helens erupts, first with steam, then with ash, Oct. 1, 2004, in Washington state. The observatory is five miles from the crater.

October 2004

The seismograph at the Cascades Volcano Observatory in Vancouver, Wash., shows the seismic activity during the eruption of Mount St. Helens, Wash., earlier in the day, Oct. 1, 2004. After the event it shows a flat line, right, indicating no activity.

September 2004

U.S. Geological Survey scientists Dan Dzurisin and Mike Poland, both at right, are dwarfed by the rear wall of the main crater of Mount St. Helens and the volcano's massive lava dome, center, Sept. 28, 2004. The scientists took a break from installing a GPS monitoring device on the Sugar Bowl Dome of the mountain to visit with a reporter and waiting helicopter pilot.

September 2004

The crater on Mount St. Helens is shown in an aerial photo, Sept. 27, 2004.

September 2004

Scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey install a GPS unit at Mount St. Helens, Sept. 27, 2004, to monitor any ground movement.

September 2004

The crater at Mount St. Helens, shown in an aerial photo, Sept. 27, 2004.

Click here for photos of Mount St. Helens' 1980 eruption.