An unusually smooth and swiftly growing lava dome within the crater of Washington state's Mount St. Helens volcano is an extraordinary and perplexing event with an unknown outcome, geologists said Tuesday. | I'll take eruption for $500, Alex |
The dome has been building at a steady clip for about two months now as molten rock boils up from deep below. | Imagine Barry Bond's head on steroids |
While no major eruptions are expected in the near term, the dome's construction can be likened to a runaway freight train in terms of the steady forces involved, scientists said. "There's a truckload of hot rock coming out of the mountain every second," said Dan Dzurisin of the U.S. Geological Survey. "We're scratching our heads about it." | Uh, Dan? That's what volcanos do before they go boom. |
|