- [Narrator] Mount Saint
Helens is no secret to those who like to climb
and trek on its broad, snowy slopes. Especially on the mountain's south side, it's easy to forget what
this mountain is capable of, unless you make a trip to
the rim for a reminder. This is as close as most people get, to Mount Saint Helens' dangerous side. An unfriendly, forbidding
crater that's off-limits to everybody. Well, just about everybody. After signing away our
life in liability forms, we were allowed to join
the few scientists, who do have permission
to enter the crater. But, we were warned. - [Chris] You're going
in an active volcano. There could be steam explosions. You're dealing with poisonous gas. You're dealing with weather, I mean, you're going into a harsh environment. You're just a visitor, and
hopefully you're welcomed. - [Narrator] Our
helicopter hovered briefly, above the hundred foot high Loowit Falls, before setting down on the
north end of the crater. - We're right I the blast. Actually, we're right at
the edge of the creator, right here, and if it went off, like it did in 1980, we wouldn't
be alive to talk about it. - [Narrator] Our only transportation
out of here, flew off, leaving us alone for the day, and within minutes we got a
taste of what passes for normal, in this place. - [Charlie] This is one reason that it's closed to the public, some of these rocks
coming down are actually as big as a Volkswagen. And, a hard hat wouldn't do ya any good. - [Narrator] Charlie Anderson led the way, deeper into the crater. He's an independent
geologist and volcanologist. He knows the dangers as well as anyone, yet he still gets excited
about coming here. - In fact, this is my
hundred and fortieth trip, since 1980, and this sort
of a disappointing year, because I've only made it up here twice. Normally I make it up here
ten or twelve times a year. - [Narrator] The other
researchers are here to help document the changes taking place in this exotic, other-worldly landscape. Travel here is extremely difficult. There are no trails in the crater, and the going is slow. Up ahead is the volcanic
dome, 1,000 feet high, which has been growing in
violent, and unpredictable fits and starts, ever
since the 1980 eruption. - [Charlie] The last dome
building event was actually in October of 1986. We had steam eruptions
occur without any warning between 1989 to 1991, and I happened to be in the
crater when one of those went, and all I did was go behind a rock, and just pray, and the thing
shot out ash, and stuff, about sixteen, seventeen
thousand feet above the dome. And, we were wondering if we'd
ever walk out of that one, ya know. - [Narrator] Things are quieter today. Everyone is cautiously wary, yet eager to find out what lies ahead. - [Chris] It's an adventure. I can't pass it up being
a geologist, I mean, I have a volcano in my
backyard, an active volcano. - [Narrator] Chris Barrens
has been with Charlie on over 40 research trips to the crater. - [Chris] There's about a cross-section of approximately a 3,000 year history, so just to read the historical
part of past eruptions, and present eruptions,
to me as a geologist, is extremely exciting. - [Narrator] The question
on every geologist's mind, is when will this mountain erupt again? Predicting that is the trickiest
part of volcano science. But, there are other
changes taking place here, that are worth understanding, and possibly, worth worrying about. One of the newest dangers, is a glacier that straddles the dome. That's much bigger than it first appears. - These lines over here are crevasses. Crevasses on a glacier
show glacial movement, and it's moving down
the mountain, actually. From September, 2002 to July, 2003, the glacier advanced down
the mountain 60 feet. Which is incredible. In July, 2003 there was
approximately 80 feet more snow, than there was last year at that time. - [Narrator] Charlie was
among the first to document the glacier's formation, and his research indicates that
it's growing unusually fast. - [Charlie] I don't think
anybody in the world has seen a glacier grow from almost
the very first snowflake. This is the fastest new glacier growing in the continental United States. While most glaciers are
starting to recede on mountains, because of global warming,
this one keeps advancing. One of the many reasons why
this glacier is advancing, and accumulating, it's on the
north side of the mountain, which has little sunlight, so, the shadows keep
the snow from melting. - [Male Voice] Wow. - [Narrator] A steady
stream of dirt and rock, also ends up scattered on the ice. This layer of debris forms
an insulating blanket, that keeps the ice from melting, and allows the glacier to build
larger and larger everyday. Glaciers, of course, aren't
uncommon in the Cascades. But, the rapid pace of
this glacier's growth, sets it apart from
others in the northwest. Just 50 miles away, is Mount Rainier, a more typical Cascade peak, with several dozen named
glaciers sprawling down the mountain's flanks. Rainier's glaciers are
well-known, expansive, and visible from just about anywhere. But, Rainier is a
relatively inactive volcano, and its glaciers are shrinking. In contrast, the unnamed
glacier on Saint Helens is growing fast, and it's sitting on top of a restless, and earthquake
prone volcanic crater. - [Chris] One of the dangers
would be if the volcano becomes active again. There's a pretty good source
within the crater itself, of a lahar, ya know, a mudflow
emanating from the crater, if there's a significant eruption. - [Narrator] It's happened before. During the 1980 eruption, the mountain top glaciers
dissolved, joining rock and other volcanic debris,
to form a massive lahar, that swept down the Toutle River valley. This is not a scene residents
want to see repeated. At the USGS National Volcanic Laboratory, in Vancouver, Washington, seismographs act as an early warning system, gathering realtime earthquake
and tremor information, from sensors placed on the mountain. - [Steve] We're always
monitoring Mount Saint Helens, because it is the volcano that's
erupted the most frequently in the Cascades. - [Narrator] Hydrologist,
Steve Schilling says there is reason to take notice of
what's happening in the crater. - [Steve] Because it erupted in 1980, did not remove all hazard. So I can show you, as comparison
here between 1980 and 2000, and so you can see as I
flicker that on and off, the dome grows and the
increase within the crater, sort of in a horseshoe
shape around the dome, of the snow, and ice, and
rock that's accumulating, and so that's a fairly
quick period of time for this glacier to develop. Eventually what this will do, is fill up, and in who knows how many years from now, eventually we'll have a
mountain like it looked prior to the 1980 eruption. And, it will erupt again, someday. - [Narrator] Studying the
glacier helps scientist calculate how much ice, snow, and
rock is accumulating. And, whether something
short of an eruption, like a big earthquake,
could cause a lahar, is one of the things
geologists want to find out. But, the glacier is now big enough, that a lahar, if it
happens, will probably cause considerable damage. - This used to be almost
flat, or let's say a ten degree angle slope, if
you take all that mass out, going all around the dome, that's how much has accumulated since 1986. The lahar hazard would be tremendous, because all the glaciers
that were obliterated in 1980, half of that mess is
back in the crater, right now. It would take five million dump trucks, just to get all that snow mass out. - [Narrator] The Toutle River
valley still bears wounds from a series of lahars in the 1980's. The danger today is aggravated, because the mountain's throat
has been blasted wide open, and only an aging sediment
dam, miles down river, stands in the way of the next debris flow. This dam is filling up, becoming less and less
effective over time. Things have been quiet for many years, but the visible damage of past lahars, serves as a reminder what the
mountain that lies upriver shouldn't be ignored. Back in the crater, Charlie
continues to document the glacier's growth. But, recent trips have
evolved into explorations, of the previously unknown,
hidden world, of ice caves. - [Charlie] There are actually
26 entrances, up here, and there's a mile and
three quarters of cave. The caves are continuing to expand, and sometimes they fall
apart in different places, as the glacier keeps creeping around. - [Narrator] The caves conceal
may hot spots in the crater, and they shift and collapse, and reshape constantly. So, Charlie keeps his
trips to the cave short. - [Charlie] In the caves
it's very dangerous, because at certain times
of the year, like in 1998 for example, we had 445
earthquakes in the month of August. We're just basically studying
to see how they're formed, like is it geothermal activity, and it is a lot of geothermal activity for the fumaroles that
are starting this cave. - [Narrator] The caves
are misted by steam, and ground vents spew hot and
sometimes poisonous gases. Melting glacial ice joins
these hidden fumaroles and ground vents beneath the dome, only to emerge as boiling streams, that cascade down the mountain. These thermal features provide
clues about what the mountain is up to, how active it is, how hot it is, and what kind of changes are
taking place from year-to-year. - [Chris] This is a geothermal
spring, or a hot spring. And, here's a good example of
the algae that grows in it. The darker brown grows
at a higher temperature, and then you get the green, which grows at a lower temperature. The water at source, is probably about 170 degrees fahrenheit. - [Narrator] Scientists will continue to monitor the mountain for
increases in temperature, as well as any up-ticks
and tremor activity that could trigger a lahar. Yet, despite the abundance
of strange geologic activity in the crater, research
suggests that the mountain is in fact, cooler than
it was twenty years ago, and is slowly quieting down. People like Charlie are just beginning to put all this information together. Still, there are reminders everywhere, that this is new earth, and
is a place where change, even violent change, is a constant. (crashing rock) By late afternoon, a
haze had filled the air, caused by a near constant
cascade of rock falls, and avalanches. Chris and Charlie agreed
it was time to leave. - [Chris] It's a risk,
it's a calculated risk, and that's part of the research, I mean, ya know, if no one went into
this type of environment, no one would really know
what was going on. It's a needed thing to do. - [Narrator] As we lifted off, and looked down upon the
crater from a safer distance, we tried to pretend once again, that Mount Saint Helens
is the peaceful place that many have come to think it is. It's probably wiser to accept
the fact, this it isn't.
Get me a kilo of cocaine, a pound of sharp cheddar cheese, a pair of hand cuffs, a kiddie pool, Five pounds of high explosive, and the soundtrack to Shrek. I go up there and solve the problem.
For those too impatient for the glacial pace of an OPB program, the danger from the glacier is a possible lahar. In other words, a debris flow of rock and water in an eruption.
Dangerously awesome maybe.
I'm loving this series from OPB. I encourage anyone to jump on YouTube and go down this rabbit hole.
Thanks for sharing!
Oregon Field Guide and Oregon Experience are also free to stream on OPB's website. These shows are a great way to learn about Oregon, can't recommend them enough.
Great watch
I’ve been watching a bunch of OPB about Mt St. Helens over the last couple of weeks. The growing rock bulge is interesting