Loowit Creek on North Side of Mount St. Helens
June 12, 2015
Photographer: Rod Benson
Summary Author: Rod Benson
This photo was taken below the crater on the north slope of Mount St. Helens, Washington. Loowit Creek originates from melting snow and ice in the crater formed by the explosive eruption in 1980. Much of the water comes from Crater Glacier, which has formed and grown around the lava domes over the past several decades. Loowit Creek has cut down through the volcano, exposing the alternating layers that give composite volcanoes their name. Also known as stratovolcanoes, volcanoes like St. Helens consist of alternating layers of explosively erupted pyroclastics (ash, cinders, etc.) and lava flows. Photo taken during a hike organized and led by the Mount St. Helens Institute, in August of 2013.
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