Mount St. Helens’ Runaway Glacier: A timelapse video of Crater Glacier

From 2005 to 2010, the U.S. Geological Survey-Cascades Volcano Observatory operated a remote camera on the northwest flank of Mount St. Helens. Looking into the crater, the camera captured hourly photographs of volcanic dome growth during the 2004-2008 eruption. The station also captured the advance of the west arm of Crater Glacier as it moved northeast around the 1980-1986 and 2004-2008 lava domes, joined with the east arm of the glacier, and pushed northward onto the crater floor. The time-lapse sequence links individual photographs to produce a video of the movement of Crater Glacier, showing the glacier’s remarkable run-away response to volcanic dome growth.

Video by USGS

Location: WA, Mount St. Helens, USA

Video Producer: Liz Westby , U.S. Geological Survey–Cascades Volcano Observatory