Magama Breaks Surface of Mount Saint Helens

Well, the Mt. St. Helens eruptions are now not just steam and ash (which geologists had been hoping would remain all it was, as that would imply all of the quakes were just caused by ground water seepage). Magma has broken the surface and is forming a new lava dome. This means a real explosive eruption of lava is possible, though the fact that magma has escaped indicates that it has found at least one vent, and might keep things from becoming bottled up. Still, I would not recommend taking a hike on that particular mountain this year.