Mount St. Helens
Erupted in 1980
Mount St.
Helens is an active volcano in Washington State, part of the Cascade Range.
Its catastrophic 1980 eruption—which killed 57 people and blew off the mountain's north face—made it a byword for volcanic destruction in American consciousness: The explosion looked like Mount St. Helens.
The mountain continues to show volcanic activity.
Airborne volcanic debris descending
- pyroclastic flowHot volcanic gas-debris mixture
- laharVolcanic debris flow
- evacuationRemoval from danger
- plumeOrnamental feather or rising column
Harry Truman · tephra · crater · mudflow · USGS · ash cloud · sulfur dioxide · seismograph
Plate descending beneath another
- CascadiaPacific Northwest ecological region
- andesiteIntermediate volcanic rock
- magma chamberSubsurface pocket holding liquefied rock
- lava domeSteep-sided volcanic mound
tectonic · stratovolcano · silica · pumice · volcanic arc · Ring of Fire · seismology · fault
Information point for guests
- trailheadHiking path entrance
- scenicOffering beautiful views
- vistaPleasing distant scene
- hikingRecreational trail walking
recreation · tourism · photography · panorama · Pacific Northwest · Washington State · Cascade Range · sightseeing
Explosion's destructive radius
- recolonizationOccupying territory again
- elkLarge North American cervid
- wildflowersUncultivated flowering plants
- lupineOf or like wolves
succession · regrowth · pocket gophers · pioneer species · recovery · biodiversity · habitat restoration · wildlife
ashfall
Airborne volcanic debris descending
- pyroclastic flowHot volcanic gas-debris mixture
- laharVolcanic debris flow
- evacuationRemoval from danger
Harry Truman · plume · tephra · crater · mudflow · USGS · ash cloud · sulfur dioxide · seismograph · volcanic bomb
subduction
Plate descending beneath another
- CascadiaPacific Northwest ecological region
- andesiteIntermediate volcanic rock
- magma chamberSubsurface pocket holding liquefied rock
lava dome · tectonic · stratovolcano · silica · pumice · volcanic arc · Ring of Fire · seismology · fault · igneous
visitor center
Information point for guests
hiking · recreation · tourism · photography · panorama · Pacific Northwest · Washington State · Cascade Range · sightseeing · interpretive center
blast zone
Explosion's destructive radius
- recolonizationOccupying territory again
- elkLarge North American cervid
- wildflowersUncultivated flowering plants
lupine · succession · regrowth · pocket gophers · pioneer species · recovery · biodiversity · habitat restoration · wildlife · rebirth
- American LandformsGrand Canyon, Rocky Mountains, Rockies, Appalachian Mountains, Appalachians
- American VolcanoesKilauea, Mauna Loa, Popocatepetl, Crater Lake, Yellowstone
- Northwest LandmarksSpace Needle, Crater Lake, Olympic National Park, Pike Place Market, Cascade Range
- Volcanic Eruptionspyroclastic flow, volcanic ash, tephra, ash cloud, ash plume
- Western MountainsCascade Range, Cascades, Sierra Nevada, Olympic Mountains, Alaska Range
- Southwest WashingtonVancouver, Longview, Kelso, Castle Rock, Columbia River
Mount St. HelensDeath Valley
Below-sea-level California desert
valley · Mariana Trench · lowland · depression · basin
Mount St. Helenscoral reef
Calcium carbonate marine ecosystem