Mount St Helens gave a mild belch today, spewing a mile-high cloud of ash and steam, and working up all the news outlets into a tizzy of alarmed “BREAKING NEWS ON THIS CATASTROPHIC ERUPTION” coverage. Reporters and volcano alike seem to have calmed down by now.

On the weblog front, Forester is just 40 miles from the mountain, and is writing about the volcanic events as they happen.

Check out this excellent USGS slide set of Mount St Helens through the course of its volcanic history since 1980, including some nice before-after shots, close-up photos of the lava dome inside the crater, and some of the scientific work that goes on around the volcano.