Fire and ice: Mount St Helens is proud mum of world’s newest glacier

A topographic map of Mount St. Helens made by scientists from the US Geological Survey (USGS) and NASA using Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) technology. LIDAR maps topography by bouncing a laser pulse from an airplane to the ground tens of thousands of times each second. The technique results in topographical maps that are vertically accurate to within 10cm. Image: NASA

Mother and baby: This topographic map showing Mount St Helens and the glacier in its crater was made by scientists from the US Geological Survey (USGS) and NASA using Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) technology. LIDAR maps topography by bouncing a laser pulse from an airplane to the ground tens of thousands of times each second. The technique results in topographical maps that are vertically accurate to within 10cm. Image: NASA/Earth Observatory

Ray Yurkewycz perches on the rim of the Northwest’s most restless volcano and marvels at the primordial forces at work.