Volcanologists keep wary eye on Mount Rainier
Mount Rainier will blow, that's a given. When it does, a wall of mud and debris the consistency of wet concrete will come flooding down five river valleys that radiate from the mountain. More than 100,000 people living as far away as Auburn and Federal Way could be at risk. (New)
>> Some facts about Mount Rainier

Pierce County wants to be ready for Rainier eruption
More than 20 years after Mount St. Helens rewrote the map on volcano hazards in Washington state, Pierce County will hold a disaster planning exercise to test the county's readiness to face an eruption of the mountain in its own back yard. (New)

St. Helens blew the lid off geology, too
Fifty-seven people died in the eruption of Mount St. Helens, which forever changed the landscape of Southwest Washington as well as the science of volcanology. The disaster delivered a wake-up call to the scientific community and emergency planners, a deadly reminder that the Cascades range is still volcanically actively.

Narrow escape from death changed researcher's life
On May 17, 1980, Carolyn Dreidger arrived at St. Helens to help a friend working on her thesis. But Dave Johnston, a volcanologist with USGS, urged them to leave. They did. Johnston stayed, and died the next morning. He had not only saved Dreidger's life; he had given her a new mission: warning others of the risks from volcanoes.