Mt. Fitzherbert

Scientists who flew over Mount St. Helens yesterday weren't able to pinpoint the source of Tuesday's explosion, but they got a good view of the havoc wrought by the most violent outburst since the volcano reawakened nearly six months ago.

The blast mangled or buried seven scientific instruments and flung rocks the size of washing machines up to a third of a mile away. A quarter-inch layer of ash covered the plains two miles from the crater floor, and traces drifted as far as western Montana.

JOHNSTON RIDGE OBSERVATORY -- Scientists tamped down speculation yesterday that the large steam and ash emission at Mount St. Helens Tuesday was unexpected -- or any kind of likely precursor to a 1980-sized eruption.

According to Jon Major, a research hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, the emission was "a relatively small explosive event," and there was no hazard to people beyond the immediate vicinity of the volcano, which has been closed to the public since late last year.

Portland's the kind of place where -- as a deliciously nocturnal doughnut shop's slogan goes -- "the magic is in the hole." It's the sort of city where for decades a beloved purveyor of fine appliances and furniture has proclaimed "Free is a very good price."

So when Mount St. Helens exploded smack in the middle of Tuesday afternoon's rush hour, spewing a magical show skyward, and Portlanders watched it without having to fork over a dime , why, that was Rose City entertainment at . . . yeah, its peak.

VANCOUVER, Wash. - Scientists are taking a look at the crater of Mount St. Helens to see what happened in Tuesday's steam burst.

The U.S. Geological Survey's Jon Major told a news conference Wednesday the lava dome is "remarkably intact." He said there was no lava flow, no mudflow and there is no hazard beyond the mountain itself.

VANCOUVER, Wash. -- Hundreds of small earthquakes have rumbled under Mount St. Helens since Tuesday as steam continues to vent at the top. The biggest quake registered a magnitude 2.6 on Wednesday.

Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey's volcano observatory here were getting ready to head home when the squiggly line on the computer which tracks seismic activity at Mount St. Helens suddenly turned a solid black.