[Geysers] OK, It's Not a Geyser...

[Pat Snyder]

But Mt. St. Helens is being very awesome these days. At least it is a 
fun distraction since I won't see Yellowstone's geysers again until 
May.

Local news is getting some great shots of the new, hot lava making an 
appearance on the dome's south side. There's also an interesting 
feature the geologists are calling "The Fin", which they guess could be 
the old hardened magma plug. They are expecting this feature to grow, 
then possibly collapse in the next few days or weeks.
Links to a few stories:
http://www.kgw.com/ (this one has a link to a video of the glowing lava)
http://www.koin.com/news.asp?ID=1242
http://www.oregonlive.com/special/mtsthelens/

We're having outstanding weather for the eruptions, too. Clear, sunny 
and record-breaking high temperatures with minimal haze.
Again, the webcam is at:
http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/volcanocams/msh/

Morning pictures have been particularly gorgeous with first sun glowing 
on the steam.
And I've been fortunate to see the steam on the way home from work 
everyday. It's incredible.

And thanks, Tara and Graham, for the great write ups on Giant and Fan & 
Mortar! Much appreciated.
Pat Snyder