Thanks Padre. Yep, I understand volcanism to some extent - NZ being a particularly bubbly kind of a place. A lahar off Mt Ruapehu in 1953 wiped out a rail bridge, causing the overnight express between Wellington and Auckland to plunge into a river killing a lot of people. Tje rail line was nearly five miles away from the crater.

I was curious to know if Mt St Helens had shown any greater propensity to erupt than usual. Mt Tarawera did exactly what Mt St Helens did in 1863, although it was much smaller than Mt St Helens. The scars are still visible even today.