How the world's newest glacier is forming on Washington's Mount St. Helens... site of the deadliest volcanic eruption in US history

  • The Crater Glacier has been forming for decades in the horseshoe-shaped crater that was left on the mountain after the May 1980 volcanic eruption 
  • The north-facing crater has created a perfect growing environment for the glacier, shielding regular snowfall from sunlight 
  • Glacier also fed additional snow and ice that sloughs off crater's walls 
  • It is protected from volcanic heat by thick layer of loose insulating volcanic rock on crater that also gives glacier its distinct look 

By Anneta Konstantinides For Dailymail.com

Published: 11:30 EST, 12 July 2015 | Updated: 13:00 EST, 12 July 2015

What once was the remains of the deadliest volcanic eruption in history is breathing new life into the world's youngest glacier, located on Washington's Mount St. Helens.

As global climate change melts ice caps and glaciers around the world, the Mount St. Helens' Crater Glacier continues to grow. 

The glacier has been forming for decades in a horseshoe-shaped crater that was left on the mountain after the volcano erupted in May 1980 and caused massive destruction.

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The Mount St. Helens' Crater Glacierhas been growing for decades in a horseshoe-shaped crater that was left on the mountain after the volcano erupted in May 1980

The Mount St. Helens' Crater Glacierhas been growing for decades in a horseshoe-shaped crater that was left on the mountain after the volcano erupted in May 1980

The Skamania County mountain's summit dropped 1,314 ft to a total 8,363ft, forming the hollowed-out crater that would become the perfect growing environment for the world's newest glacier

The Skamania County mountain's summit dropped 1,314 ft to a total 8,363ft, forming the hollowed-out crater that would become the perfect growing environment for the world's newest glacier

Fifty-seven people were killed, as were more than 7,000 big game animals, and more than 200 homes and 185 miles of highway were destroyed, according to the Cascades Volcano Observatory of the US Geological Survey.

The Skamania County mountain's summit dropped 1,314 ft to a total 8,363ft, forming the hollowed-out crater that would become the perfect growing environment for the world's newest glacier. 

The north-facing crater shields sunlight from normal snowfall, which also gets fed to from the additional snow and ice that slough off the crater's walls, said USGS geologist Dave Sherrod. 

Snow also piled up along the crater's back wall thanks to a sheltering lava dome that grew to 900ft in six years. 

'It's as if you've doubled, tripled or quadrupled the amount of snow and ice accumulation in this small area,' he told The Post-Star. 

'It's a fountain of youth as far as the glacier is concerned.' 

The north-facing crater shields sunlight from normal snowfall, which also gets fed to from the additional snow and ice that slough off the crater's walls

The north-facing crater shields sunlight from normal snowfall, which also gets fed to from the additional snow and ice that slough off the crater's walls

The crater is also protected from the mountain's volcanic heat by a thick layer of loose volcanic rock that acts as an insulating barrier

The crater is also protected from the mountain's volcanic heat by a thick layer of loose volcanic rock that acts as an insulating barrier

The glacier is also protected from the mountain's volcanic heat by a thick layer of loose volcanic rock on the crater's floor that acts as an insulating barrier.

A permanent snowfield more than 200ft thick had settled into the crater by 1988, but scientists feared the entire glacier would be jeopardized in 2004 when the volcano once again began releasing steam and emitting magma quickly built a second dome.

But a repeat of 1980 never happened thanks to an underlying rock layer that kept the Crater Glacier well insulated. 

And instead of hurting the glacier, the second lava dome doubled its thickness and accelerated its descent downslope by pushing it up against the crater wall.

The Crater Glacier, whose speed of advance slowed down by 50 percent last spring, is now 650ft thick in certain plans and runs 1.25-miles long, Sherrod told The Post-Star.

It's perfect growing environment has also given the Crater Glacier its own distinct look, as barely a few glints of ice can be seen through the surface of volcanic rock.

The surface is so littered with volcanic rock that only a few glints of ice can be spotted 

The surface is so littered with volcanic rock that only a few glints of ice can be spotted 

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