Mount St. Helens 25th Anniversary

What It Was Mount St. Helens before the 1980 eruption
What It Became Mount St. Helens after the 1980 eruption
2 Years Later Mount St. Helens May 19, 1982
What It's Becoming Mount St. Helens with the new dome Oct. 2004-present
Photos courtesy of the USGS

On the morning of May 18^th, 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted in a fury of rock and ice.  As the earth began to shake, the north side of the volcano collapsed causing an enormous landslide burying the valley floor.  This released volcanic gases and water which had been building pressure inside the volcano over the past few months.  The result was a cataclysmic explosion, blasting hot rock and debris across the land.  The blast's speed was at least 300 mph, flattening over 200 miles of forest in less than 3-1/2 minutes and changing the once lush landscape into a gray, lifeless moonscape.

With the destruction and devastation of that day, new life, new growth, and new scientific understandings emerged.  The lessons leaned at Mount St. Helens have helped communities around the world better understand and prepare for volcanic eruptions.

Mount St. Helens, an active volcano, increased in activity in October of 2004.  Since then, the volcano has been pumping out a dump truck load of pasty, thick hot lava every 1-3 seconds.  As a result, a new lava dome is forming and continuing to grow at an impressive rate.