SEATTLE (Reuters) - Magma levels
are slowly rebuilding inside Mount St. Helens, a volcano in Washington
state that erupted in 1980 and killed 57 people, although there was no
sign of an impending eruption, U.S. scientists said.
The roughly 8,300-foot volcano erupted in an explosion of hot ash and
gas on May 18, 1980, spewing debris over some 230 square miles and
causing more than a billion dollars in property damage. Entire forests
were crushed and river systems altered in the blast, which began with a
5.2 magnitude earthquake.
"The
magma reservoir beneath Mount St. Helens has been slowly
re-pressurizing since 2008," the U.S. Geological Survey said in a
statement on Wednesday. "It is likely that re-pressurization is caused
by (the) arrival of a small amount of additional magma 4 to 8 km (2.5 to
5 miles) beneath the surface."
The USGS said this is to be expected with an active volcano and does
not indicate "the volcano is likely to erupt anytime soon."
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