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CVO Photo Archives -
Miscellaneous Hydrologic Images

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Spirit Lake, once surrounded by lush forest, is within the area devastated by the May 18, 1980 blast. Remnants of the forest now float on the surface of the lake. Another Cascade volcano, Mount Rainier (14,410 feet [4,392 meters]), is in the distance. The view is from the south.
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, October 4, 1980
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The May 18, 1980 debris avalanche from Mount St. Helens covered over 24 square miles (62 square km) of the upper Toutle River valley and blocked tributaries of the North Fork Toutle River. New lakes such as Castle Lake (pictured here) and Coldwater Lake were created.
-- USGS Photo by Robert L. Schuster, March 1984
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Aerial view, Coldwater Lake, with debris avalanche hummocks in the foreground. Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center sits on the ridge to the west (left), overlooking the lake.
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, January 13, 1984
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Outlet channels have been built at Castle Lake and Coldwater Lake (shown here) to stabilize water levels and prevent overtopping of the debris dams.
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, October 17, 1981
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Aerial view, Spirit Lake pump station. From late 1982 through the spring of 1985, a pump station operated at Spirit Lake to maintain that lake at a safe level. Without pumping, Spirit Lake was estimated to overtop its debris dam within a year.
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, September 23, 1983
Image, click to enlarge [Image,94K,JPG]
In the spring of 1985 a permanent tunnel was opened, allowing water to drain out of the lake safely. This tunnel is 11 feet (3.4 m) in diameter and more than 1.5 miles (2.5 km) in length. The water level of Spirit Lake is now maintained at approximately 100 feet (30 m) below the estimated overtopping level.
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, October 2, 1986
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Aerial view, Spirit Lake and Mount St. Helens, from the north, showing debris-avalanche-dam impounding the lake.
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, April 25, 1991
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Two USGS scientists (yellow circle) use a boat to take water samples from Spirit Lake in 1981. Logs and debris covered most of the surface of Spirit Lake.
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, July 16, 1981
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One major concern to people living downstream of Mount St. Helens is a breakout of any of these impounded lakes due to the instability of the debris dams blocking them. Flood waters from a breakout could be more catastrophic than the lahars of May 18, 1980. Gages, such as this Early Warning Gage on Coldwater Lake, have been installed at lakes and streams surrounding the volcano. These gages continuously monitor changes in water levels. Major increases or decreases in levels trigger warnings which are telemetered to the U. S. Geological Survey in Vancouver.
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, October 1, 1982
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PICTOGRAM: Hydrologic Monitoring at Mount St. Helens Volcano -- Stream Gaging, Cross-Section Surveying, Lake Level Monitoring, Sediment Sampling
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This downstream view of the North Fork Toutle River valley, north and west of St. Helens, shows part of the nearly 2/3 cubic miles (2.3 cubic kilometers) of debris avalanche that slid from the volcano on May 18. This is enough material to cover Washington, D.C. to a depth of 14 feet (4 meters). The avalanche traveled approximately 15 miles (24 kilometers) downstream at a velocity exceeding 150 miles per hour (240 km/hr). It left behind a hummocky deposit with an average thickness of 150 feet (45 m) and a maximum thicknes of 600 feet (180 meters).
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, November 30, 1983
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Looking upstream at Mount St. Helens with debris avalanche hummocks. In foreground is confluence of Loowit, North Fork Toutle, and Castle drainages.
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, August 12, 1985
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May 18, 1980 debris avalanche at Mount St. Helens, view showing Johnston Ridge, The Spillover, and avalanche terraces. Spirit Lake is in middle right.
-- USGS Photo by Terry Leighley, USGS/Sandia Labs, July 8, 1981
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PICTOGRAM: Drainage Channel Development -- North Fork Toutle River at Loowit Confluence
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Toutle River, looking west from Highway 99 Bridge. Interstate 5 Bridge in middle left background. Note mudlines left behind on trees. This area was later logged and dredged.
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, July 6, 1980
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Nearly 135 miles (220 kilometers) of river channels surrounding Mount St. Helens were affected by the lahars of May 18, 1980. A mudline left behind on trees shows depths reached by the mud. A scientist (middle right) gives scale. This view is along the Muddy River, southeast of Mount St. Helens.
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, October 23,1980
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More than 200 homes and over 185 miles (300 kilometers) of roads were destroyed by mudflows from Mount St. Helens in 1980. Pictured here is a damaged home along the South Fork Toutle River.
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, July 19, 1981
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PICTOGRAM: Mount St. Helens May 18, 1980 Lahar
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One major problem to people living downstream of Mount St. Helens is the high sedimentation rates resulting from stream erosion of the volcanic deposits. Streams are continuously downcutting channels, eroding their banks, and eating away at the avalanche and lahar deposits. This material is eventually transported downstream and deposited on the streambeds, decreasing the carrying capacity of the channels and increasing the chances of floods.
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, February 22, 1982
Image, click to enlarge [Image,45K,JPG]
In order to remove the May 18, 1980 sediment deposits, and to keep up with new sedimentation, the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers began a dredging program on the Toutle (shown here), the Cowlitz, and the Columbia Rivers. By 1987, nearly 140 million cubic yards (110 million cubic meters) of material had been removed from the channels. This is enough material to build twelve lanes of highway, one-foot-thick, from New York to San Francisco.
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, February 5, 1981
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In the spring of 1987, construction of a sediment retention dam on the North Fork Toutle River began. This retention dam is designed to help stop the downstream movement of the sediment near where it begins - on the debris avalanche.
-- USGS Photo by Steven R. Brantley, May 1989
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VIEW A: Aerial view, Upper Muddy Drainage soon after the May 18, 1980 eruption.
-- USGS Photo by Tom Casadevall, June 10, 1980
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VIEW B: Aerial view, Upper Muddy Drainage one year later.
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, November 1, 1981
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VIEW A: Upper Muddy drainage, October 1980.
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, October 1980
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VIEW B: One year later - Upper Muddy drainage, October 1981.
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, October 1981
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An explosive eruption at Mount St. Helens on March 19, 1982, sent pumice and ash 9 miles (14 kilometers) into the air, and resulted in a lahar (the dark deposit on the snow) flowing from the crater into the North Fork Toutle River valley. Part of the lahar entered Spirit Lake (lower left corner) but most of the flow went west down the Toutle River, eventually reaching the Cowlitz River, 50 miles (80 kilometers) downstream.
-- USGS Photo by Thomas J. Casadevall, March 21, 1982
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Aerial oblique view south towards Mount St. Helens. The dark area is path of a huge snow avalanche, slushflow, and flood, all caused by swift melting and sliding of snowpack induced by small explosive eruption from dome on March 19, 1982.
-- USGS/CVO Photo, March 25, 1982
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1983 - Looking upstream at the new Coal Banks Bridge across the Toutle River. The old bridge was destroyed on May 18, 1980.
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, April 4, 1983
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1987 - Looking upstream at the Coal Banks Bridge across the Toutle River.
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, February 24, 1987
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Aerial view, mouth of Pine Creek entering the Lewis River, with Pine Creek Bridge.
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, April 26, 1982
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Aerial view, looking upstream along the Muddy River, with Muddy River Bridge in foreground.
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, April 26, 1982
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Aerial view, Swift Reservoir.
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, June 22, 1984
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Debris flow at Tahoma Creek, July 26, 1988
-- USGS Photo by G. G. Parker, July 26, 1988
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PICTOGRAM: "Jokülhlaup" - Glacier-Generated Debris Flows -- South Tahoma Glacier, Mount Rainier, Washington
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Hot Spring, Yellowstone National Park
-- USGS Photo by David E. Wieprecht
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Aerial view of Mount Adams and the August 31, 1997 debris avalanche.
-- USGS Photo by R. Iverson, September 8, 1997
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Aerial view of the August 31, 1997 debris avalanche at Mount Adams.
-- USGS Photo by R. Iverson, September 8, 1997
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Aerial view of toe of the October 20, 1997 debris avalanche at Mount Adams.
-- Photo courtesy of U.S. Forest Service, October 1997
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Aerial view of toe of the October 20, 1997 debris avalanche, showing area of temporary lake
-- Photo courtesy of U. S. Forest Service, October 1997
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Crater Lake, Oregon, showing caldera and the cinder cone Wizard Island.
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, September 1982
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Aerial view of Crater Lake caldera
-- USGS Photo by W. E. Scott
Image, click to enlarge [Pictogram,170K,InlineGIF]
PICTOGRAM: Crater Lake Caldera
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Newberry Caldera, Oregon.
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, August 20, 1985
Image, click to enlarge [Image,64K,JPG]
Aerial view of Medicine Lake in the subdued caldera of Medicine Lake Volcano. View is WSW. Mount Shasta is on the skyline.
-- USGS Photo by Julie Donnelly-Nolan, September, 1985

CVO Photo Archives - Hydrologic Monitoring Images
Image, click to enlarge [Image,80K,JPG]
Gage house at Coldwater Lake
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, October 1, 1982
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Gage house at Tower Road with telemetry equipment
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, September 3, 1985
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PS69 sampler in gage house at Tower Road
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, September 3, 1985
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Dynatrol and PS69 sampler in gage house at Tower Road
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, June 2, 1987
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Sediment sampling from bridge structure
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, June 2, 1987
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Toutle River-2 Bedload Sampler
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, May 7, 1987
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Toutle River-2 Bedload Sampler (left) and Chinese Bedload Sampler (blue).
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, May 7, 1987
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Stream gaging with tag line
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, April 27, 1985
Image, click to enlarge [Image,157K,GIF]
River channel cross-section surveying - view here is of the North Fork Toutle River drainage, on north side of Mount St. Helens. Drainage has eroded into the blast deposits.
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka
Image, click to enlarge [Image,108K,GIF]
River channel cross-section surveying - view here is at Pine Creek drainage, on south side of the volcano's base. Ash covers the ground surface. Mount St. Helens is in the distance.
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka
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River channel cross-section surveying - view here is along the Muddy River drainage, approximately one mile (1.5 kilometers) southeast of the volcano's base. Rod person (lower left) and instrument persons (upper right) give scale.
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, June 26, 1981
Image, click to enlarge [Image,143K,GIF]
Aerial view, Spirit Lake pump station. From late 1982 through the spring of 1985, a pump station operated at Spirit Lake to maintain that lake at a safe level. Without pumping, Spirit Lake was estimated to overtop its debris dam within a year.
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, September 23, 1983
Image, click to enlarge [Image,94K,JPG]
In the spring of 1985 a permanent tunnel was opened, allowing water to drain out of the lake safely. This tunnel is 11 feet (3.4 m) in diameter and more than 1.5 miles (2.5 km) in length. The water level of Spirit Lake is now maintained at approximately 100 feet (30 m) below the estimated overtopping level.
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, October 2, 1986
Image, click to enlarge [Image,53K,JPG]
Two USGS scientists (yellow circle) use a boat to take water samples from Spirit Lake in 1981. Logs and debris covered most of the surface of Spirit Lake.
-- USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, July 16, 1981

Special Photo Features - Hydrology

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03/25/02, Lyn Topinka