Mt. Fitzherbert

Potential ash hazards: Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that any ash clouds that rise above the crater rim today would drift principally to the northwest early in the day, shifting to northeast later in the day.

Recent observations: The dome-building eruption that began in October 2004 continues at the same pace as in recent days, accompanied by low background levels of seismicity and other eruption indicators. A GPS instrument on the new dome west of the vent continues to move westward nearly 1 meter (3 feet) per day. Field crews had a successful day at the volcano yesterday. Three of four time-lapse cameras on the crater rim or floor are again operational, returning images that show continued growth of the active part of the new lava dome. A fourth camera remains buried in a snow cornice on the south crater rim. Scientists collected another rock sample from the vent area and measured emission rates of volcanic gases. Preliminary analyses indicate no significant changes from past trends.