Mount St Helens Eruption 30th Anniversary

Growing up in the 1980′s and 90′s, I was unaware of just how new most of our knowledge of geology, plate tectonics, and volcanoes is relative to other sciences. On the heels of this realization I read about a pair of geologists that were the first to identify Mount St Helens as a volcano in 1978, and how their conclusion was mostly dismissed by area residents.

For a little over a month preceding the 5.1 magnitude earthquake at 8:32 AM on May 18th, 1980, the area surrounding Mount St Helens had been experiencing greatly increased seismic activity. Geologists flocked to the area, setting up an array of measuring devices, outposts, and monitoring stations to record as much data as possible. It was found that the north face of the mountain was beginning to bulge outward by around five feet, which was an indicator of the massive landslide to come.

The significance of the 1980 Mount St Helens eruption is far-reaching. It was the first opportunity modern scientists had to examine this type of volcanic eruption in-progress, allowing for the collection of vast amounts of scientific data. This eruption was impressive in terms of scale.

• Released 24 megatons of thermal energy
• Horizontal pyroclastic flows leveled 230 square miles of forest
• Ash plume that went 15 miles into the atmosphere and covered parts of ten states
• Released 1.5 million metric tons of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere
• Epic landslide with about 2.9 cubic kilometers of debris from the collapse of the north face
• Killed 57 people, including a scientist with the US Geological Survey, David Johnston

The volcano in Iceland that disrupted air travel for several weeks has brought volcanoes, and their deadly consequences, back into the public view. The immense power associated with the forces held within our Earth’s bowels is easily forgotten on the tranquil surface we call home. Volcanic eruptions like the one in Iceland and Mount St Helens are reminders of how big and powerful the world we live in is, and how insignificant we are in the face of these massive forces.

I now live within 50 miles of Mount St Helens, and on every clear day when I am driving home from work I can see it in the distance, looming peacefully. It is hard to imagine seeing and hearing the eruption that happened 30 years ago today. However, as evidenced by the apparent increase in geological activity all over the world, we should never let our guard down when living in the shadow of that mountain.

Image Credit

Mount St. Helens 1978 – before the eruption courtesy of Flickr user Derek K. Miller under the CC license

Mt_St_Helens_HDR_2 courtesy of Flickr user brianholsclaw under the CC license