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 southeastward early in the day and east-southeastward later.

Recent observations: The slight increase in seismic-energy release that began about October 7 has ended and energy levels are now decreasing slowly. Such cycles are becoming characteristic of the ongoing eruption. During the past few weeks a prominent linear feature has developed on the disintegrating whaleback that grew during last spring and summer and now lies east of the actively growing part of the new lava dome. In this photograph the linear, blade-like feature lies in shadow in the center of the three distinct masses that form the new lava dome. Although it appears that the feature is being actively thrust upward, it is merely being exhumed as fractured lava spalls away from it.