you live near there - Mt. St. Helens at sunrise.

Mt. St.. Helens continues to spew ash, while it is

forming a lava dome in the crater and still having

minor tremors.

Here in this sunrise shot, she appears to be blowing

smoke rings (and anything so benign is welcomed, given

recent history).

What forms the "smoke rings" is the air flowing over

the mountain getting pushed up higher as it goes up

and over the top. The moisture content and initial

temperature are just right so that the moisture

condenses from a vapor to small particles at the

higher altitude. When the moving air moves past the

peak and comes down again, the particles evaporate

back to an invisible vapor.

The two "pancakes" describe that there are two layers

of air for which this is happening, thus making this

awesome picture possible.

Picture by Brent and Jan LeBaron

Mt. Helens 1.jpg

Mt. Helens 2.jpg