By the Numbers

2

Alert level for the volcano, meaning the danger of an imminent eruption has passed. The level had been listed as 3.

1.0

Magnitude of small earthquakes reported throughout the day – sometimes every few minutes – on Wednesday. At the quietest point, seismic activity was lower than it had been in a week.

12

Depth, in miles, of larger earthquakes during the volcano’s 1980 eruption. This week, earthquakes are reaching about two miles deep.

1,000

Height, in feet, of the volcano’s lava dome, which has risen by 150 feet in the past several days.

2,500

Approximate age of the mountain, a period that roughly covers the history of western civilization.

2,000

Age of the pyramids in Egypt when Mt. St. Helens began to form.

1792

Year that British explorer George Vancouver named the mountain for a countryman, diplomat Baron St. Helens.

SOURCE: AP