The Nation - News from May 31, 1985

Scientists spotted a stream of hot lava oozing from cracks in the crater dome of Mt. St. Helens, in southwest Washington. It was the first eruption of the volcano in more than eight months. A U.S. Geological Survey crew flew over the crater at mid-morning and spotted a new lava flow on the southeast flank of the 800-foot-high dome. Scientists reported there was no sign of explosive activity. It was the first time magma has broken through the surface of the lava dome since Sept. 10, 1984, and was the 18th eruption since a cataclysmic blast on May 18, 1980, that blew 1,300 feet off the top of the mountain and killed 57 persons.