As time passed, no clear signs of rising magma, significant changes in gas composition or emission rates or surface deformation appeared. The activity gradually declined over the following two years but the amount of heat escaping from the ground stabilized at a higher level than before 1975. Field observations and onsite monitoring occurred sporadically in the 1990s and more regularly in the 2000s, which provided for a relatively long-term data set regarding the behavior of Mount Baker. The data collected suggests that magma may have intruded beneath the volcano in 1975, but it did not have enough energy to erupt. The magma stalled, likely in the form of a dike, and has been cooling since. The shallow magma heated the overlying hydrothermal system, which caused the observed increases in heat and gas emissions as well as providing energy for the steam explosions.