112: Lessons from the Mount St Helens Volcano Eruption

Summary: May 18, 1980, is a day that many Pacific Northwesterners will never forget - it was the day the Mount St Helens volcano erupted. The Mount St Helens volcano is located about 100 miles south of Seattle and 50 miles northeast of Portland, Oregon. The eruption of the Mount St Helens volcano was the most destructive in theUnited States' history. Why Is Information About the Mount St Helens Volcano Eruption Helpful for Preparedness? Hopefully, you don't ever have to experience the eruption of a volcano. However, understanding the science behind it can be helpful. It's good to know on some level how rocks form and how nature happens around us. That way, when you're driving around - perhaps you're out in the desert, or maybe you're in the mountains - you know enough about what you're looking at to realize that might be a dangerous thing. According to the USGS, volcanic ash was detected in cities in the central United States on the day of the eruption. Two days later, residents of cities in the Northeastern United States noticed it, and within two weeks, the ash had spread around the globe. The Eruption of the Mount St. Helens Volcano As mentioned above, on May 18th, 1980, Mount St. Helens volcano erupted. Mount St Helens is in the Cascade Mountain range along with Mt. Rainier, Mount Hood, and a bunch of other volcanoes up there. When the eruption happened, it resulted in the deaths of 57 people, along with the destruction of about 250 homes, nearly 50 bridges, and hundreds of miles of roads. Most of those who died passed away of asphyxiation when they inhaled hot volcanic ash, while some victims died from thermal and other injuries. The furthest victim of the eruption was discovered 13 miles away. According to the USGS: The lateral blast, debris avalanche, mudflows, and flooding caused extensive damage to land and civil works. All buildings and related manmade structures in the vicinity of Spirit Lake were buried. More than 200 houses and cabins were destroyed and many more were damaged in Skamania and Cowlitz Counties, leaving many people homeless. Many tens of thousands of acres of prime forest, as well as recreational sites, bridges, roads, and trails, were destroyed or heavily damaged. More than 185 miles of highways and roads and 15 miles of railways were destroyed or extensively damaged. Some bodies were never recovered because that gigantic wall of mud, boiling water, lava, and debris comes barreling down the side of the mountain at hundreds of miles per hour. It doesn't leave a whole lot left in its trace. The Mount St. Helens volcano is less than 40,000 years old, and the cone that blew in 1980 took over 2000 years to build. The USGS ranks Mount St. Helen's as the second most dangerous volcano in the United States. Geology & Tectonics The Mount St Helens volcano is a large cone consisting of layers of lava rock, ash, and other deposits. Mount St Helens is part of the Cascade Mountain Range, which is on the edge of the Cascadia subduction zone of the Juan de Fuca and North American tectonic plates. A subduction zone is where one tectonic plate rides up over another. The Cascade Mountain Range is part of the Ring of Fire known as the Cascade Arc, consisting of 160 volcanos. Yes, there are 160 volcanoes in that little volatile corner of North America. The Ring of Fire rises out of the Pacific Ocean floor, where the Juan de Fuca Ridge lifts up out of the seaf...

112: Lessons from the Mount St Helens Volcano Eruption

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