Mt. Fitzherbert

SEATTLE — Two years after Mount St. Helens began its low-key eruption, a process that has extruded tons of rock into the crater from the volcano's deadly 1980 blast, scientists say the mountain seems to be slowing down.

But they're making no predictions about when the activity will end.

"Volcanoes throw you a lot of curve balls. I've been humbled enough not to call the pitch till it's over the plate," said Cynthia Gardner, scientist in charge at the Cascades Volcano Observatory, a U.S. Geological Survey facility about 50 miles from Vancouver, Wash., and 150 miles south of Seattle.