1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens Facts for Kids

Photograph of the eruption column, May 18, 1980.

On May 18, 1980, a major volcanic eruption occurred from Mount St. Helens, a volcano in Washington, in the United States. The eruption was recorded as a 5 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index. Throughout the two months before the eruption, there was a series of earthquakes and steam was vented from the mouth of the volcano. A total of 57 people died in the eruption. Including Harry R. Truman, who ran Spirit Lake, and volcano expert David A. Johnston.

Images for kids

Mount St. Helens from Monitor Ridge, this image shows the cone of devastation, the huge crater open to the north, the posteruption lava dome inside, and Crater Glacier surrounding the lava dome. The small photo on the left was taken from Spirit Lake before the eruption and the small photo on the right was taken after the eruption from roughly the same place. Spirit Lake can also be seen in the larger image, as well as two other Cascade volcanoes.
USGS photo showing a pre-avalanche eruption on April 10
Photo showing the cryptodome on April 27
Sequence of events on May 18
Lakes nearest to Mount St. Helens have been partly covered with felled trees for more than 40 years. This photograph was taken in 2012.
North Fork Toutle River valley filled with landslide deposits
Computer graphics showing the May 18 landslide (green) being overtaken by the initial pyroclastic flow (red)
Photographer Reid Blackburn's Volvo after the eruption
$Mount St. Helens fractured tree$

Many trees in the direct blast zone were snapped off at their bases and the earth was stripped and scorched.
The ash cloud produced by the eruption, as seen from the village of Toledo, Washington, 35 miles (56 km) to the northwest of Mount St. Helens: The cloud was roughly 40 mi (64 km) wide and 15 mi (24 km; 79,000 ft) high.
Ash cloud from Mt. St. Helens as captured by the GOES 3 weather satellite at 15:45 UTC.
Residual lateral blast effects in the channelized blast zone, some 30 years after the eruption: Damage ranged from scorched earth, through tree trunks snapped at various heights, to more superficial effects.
Mudline next to Muddy River from the 1980 lahars
Mount St. Helens one day before the eruption, photographed from the Johnston ridge
Mount St. Helens four months after the eruption, photographed from roughly the same location as was the earlier picture: Note the barrenness of the terrain as compared to the image above.
One of the 200 houses destroyed by the eruption
Eruption on July 22, 1980
The growing third dome on October 24, 1980
Satellite image of Mount St. Helens crater (22 July 1982)
Satellite image of Mount St. Helens crater 30 June 1980 (color infrared)
Satellite image of Mount St. Helens before eruption (23 July 1975)
Digital elevation model (DEM) of Mount St. Helens (1982)
DEM of Mount St. Helens (2003)
DEM of Mount St. Helens (2017)
Lava domes growth and landscape change of Mount St. Helens 2002-2017
Lava domes growth and landscape change of Mount St. Helens 1982-2003
Lava domes growth and landscape change of Mount St. Helens 1982-2017

1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens facts for kids

Images for kids

See also