Summary
On Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey attached a dozen stainless steel boxes to a helicopter and airlifted them to the mountain.
Story Published: Jul 14, 2009 at 4:45 PM PST
Story Updated: Jul 15, 2009 at 8:49 PM PST
Aerial view, Mount St. Helens' crater, with lava dome and the Crater Glacier. USGS Photograph taken on March 12, 2009, by Steve Schilling.
MOUNT ST. HELENS - Scientists have a new set of eyes and ears on Mount St. Helens.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey attached a dozen stainless steel boxes to a helicopter and airlifted them to the mountain.
Each box, called a 'spider,' is a self-contained volcano laboratory.
Inside are GPS units that can detect earth movements down to the centimeter and pressure gauges that can sense small explosions.
The spiders can be placed in locations too dangerous for people and can provide instant information about changes on the mountain or a pending eruption.
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