Mt. St. Helens Instruments Not Working

VANCOUVER, WA - New instruments installed on the lava dome at Mount St. Helens on Friday stopped transmitting early Sunday.

Scientists can't tell what happened until the weather clears, but they think the instrument package may have been wiped out by a rockfall or steam emission.

Before they stopped transmitting, the video camera, gas sensor, GPS and seismometer indicated the lava dome was continuing to grow "at a vigorous pace."

The U.S. Geological Survey says magma pushed up into the volcano in October and started oozing into the crater where it is building the lava dome.