At 9:56 PDT (Tuesday) this morning, a magnitude 3.6 earthquake occurred at Mount St. Helens. This is one of the largest earthquakes recorded during the ongoing eruption, and it triggered significant rockfalls from the growing, extruding spine and from the crater walls. Plumes of dust and ash generated by the rockfalls rose slightly above the crater rim but dissipated quickly. Occasional similar rockfalls are likely to occur in the future, and if future earthquakes occur comparable to that this morning, they will likely be felt by anyone on the volcano. Overall, extrusion of the growing lava dome continues to occur in the same quiescent mode exhibited over the past year, and levels of seismicity remain generally low.

Please note that since October 11, 2004, Mount St. Helens has been in a constant eruptive state.