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> 1998
> May
> May 22, 1998:
Hour Two: Mt. St. Helens - 18 Years Later
| On May 18th, eighteen years ago, at 8:32 am, the landscape of Washington State changed. It started with an earthquake far below Mount St. Helens, a peak in the Cascade range. Seconds later, a tremendous avalanche started down the sides of the mountain. Pent-up gases inside what had been an ordinary looking mountain were released by the landslide and suddenly burst through the surface, sending hot ash and rock raining down on the surrounding land. The super-hot gases, moving at hundreds of miles an hour, melted snow and ice almost instantly and created massive mudslides. Trees were ripped away by the blast. Others, miles away, were scorched to death. Rivers filled with grey, ashy mud. Over fifty people died, mainly from inhaling hot ash.
Over 7,000 large game animals died, according to forest service estimates, along with thousands of fish. Some were smothered by ash or burned by the blast. Others were kept out of their habitats or away from food by the eruption. Years after the eruption, many habitats have been restored, though some areas are still prone to erosion and flooding during heavy rains. | 
May 17, 1980
The day before the eruption.
| 
September 10, 1980.
Both photos by
Harry Glicken, USGS | The eruption of Mount St. Helens was the most destructive volcanic eruption in the United States - and one of the most studied eruptions in the world. Scientists studying the eruption have been able to apply what they learned from the blast in the northwest to other eruptions, like that of Mt. Pinatubo in the Phillipines. On this hour of Science Friday - a look back at the eruption, and a look forward to what scientists can learn from this, and other, volcanic events.
NASA image of Mt. St. Helens
from on board the space shuttle. | 
The side of the mountain was blown
away by the blast. (USGS/CVO) | 
The eruption felled trees for
miles around. (USGS/CVO) |
Guests:
Howard Berkes
NPR Correspondent
Nieman Fellow, Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
Christine Colasurdo
Author, "Return to Spirit Lake: Journey through a Lost Landscape" (Sasquatch Books)
San Francisco, CA
Peter Frenzen
Monument Scientist
Mt St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
Amboy, WA
C. Dan Miller
Chief, Volcano Disaster Assistance Program
U.S. Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance
Research Geologist
U.S. Geological Survey, Cascades Volcano Observatory
Vancouver, WA
Books/Articles Discussed:
"Return to Spirit Lake: Journey through a Lost Landscape" by Christine Colasurdo
(Sasquatch Books)
Related Links:
Cascades Volcano Observatory
Live Volcanocam from the U.S. Forest Service
Mt St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
USGS Volcano Hazards Program
VolcanoWorld
UN Volcano Mitigation Program
Hear SciFri's December 26th program on volcano hazards |
