Spirit Lake

Spirit Lake was heavily changed during the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980.  It's water was forced 800 feet up a hill, ripping out thousands of trees.  Lava flows raised the surface elevation of the lake by over 200 feet!

Immediately after the eruption, gases seeping up from the new lake bed created extremely toxic water, completely devoid of oxygen.  However, biological activity quickly returned (even more so than prior to the eruption).  Returning fish life were first observed in 1993.

Tree logs, that were ripped out by the sloshing water and deposited in the lake, still remain and cover the majority of the surface water.  Many sink and are quickly petrified, due to the high mineral content of the water.