Scientists Conduct Tests Above Mt. St. Helens
Early tests of gas samples collected above Mt. St. Helens by helicopter did not show unusually high levels of carbon dioxide or sulfur coming from the volcano, scientists said.
“This tells us that we are probably not yet seeing magma moving up in the system,” said Jeff Wynn, chief scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Vancouver, Wash.
More tests are necessary to better define whether magma, which is molten rock, is moving under the crater of the mountain, which erupted in 1980.
Small earthquakes, which began Thursday, rattled Mt. St. Helens at the rate of one or two a minute Monday.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
