Mount St. Helens: Steam, Ash Emissions and Dome Growth, October 2004

After two weeks of increasing seismicity, Mount St. Helens began erupting on October 1, 2004. The first of several explosions shot a plume of volcanic ash and gases into the atmosphere. Four additional steam and ash explosions occurred through October 5, and three produced noticeable fallout of fine ash downwind. Following the brief series of small steam-and-ash explosions, the volcano settled into a quieter phase of activity. On October 11, 2004, spines of solid, but still hot, lava punctured the surface of the deformed glacier, initiating a new dome-building phase of activity. This video shows steam and ash eruptions and dome growth from October 1, 4, 11, and 27, 2004.