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MOUNT ST. HELENS’ TOPLESS 40TH BIRTHDAY
Mount St. Helens is a living, breathing —
topless — giant. When she blew, the volcano
forever changed the landscape of Washington
State. And the steam that periodically arises
from her cratered head reminds us that even
40 years later, she’s still very much alive.
IN THE MONTHS
LEADING UP to the
catastrophic eruption,
consistent seismic
activity was recorded
on the grounds sur-
rounding the volcano.
Plumes of steam were
seen shooting from
its top, sometimes
as high as 6,000 feet
into the air. Its shape
changed, as the north
side bulged out rough-
ly 450 feet in a nearly
horizontal direction.
The catastrophic
eruption climaxed on
May 18, 1980. It de-
molished 1,300 feet of
the volcano’s summit.
The formerly symmet-
rical cone became a
2-mile-wide crater.
The subsequent flow of debris and mud (known as lahar)
destroyed 230 square miles of forests and meadows. It contin-
ued its roll all the way to the Columbia River, taking it 17 miles
from the mountain and over terrain that was 600 feet deep in
places.
The blast generated roughly 500 times the force of the
atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima and claimed 57 lives. It
sent massive ash clouds soaring more than 60,000 feet into
the air. Caught by wind, the burnt particles blew eastward with
such density that in Yakima they blocked the sun.
Today, scientists consider the cratered beauty a world-class
outdoor laboratory. The landscape is the epitome of re-birth.
Plants that survive off nitrogen absorbed through the air,
rather than the soil, were the first to take root among the ash.
Gradually the hillsides became scattered with wildflowers and
prairie land. Animals and insects returned. Deciduous trees
spread their leaves and have gradually started giving way to re-
growth of old-growth forests. It’s a sight to behold.
Will she blow again?
Yes. The only question is when. Thanks to Mount St. Helens
location on the Cascadian Subduction Zone, another eruption
is inevitable.
While predicting the eruption is extremely difficult to pre-
dict, scientists are keeping a close watch on all the volcanos in
the Pacific Northwest — including Mount St. Helens. Key data,
like jumps in seismic activity, offer warning signals. And to this
date, all activity surrounding the volcano have been within
normal range.
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