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John Nelson.net
Monday, May 18 2015
Mount St Helens Eruption -35 Years ago today

Thirty-five years ago today, Mount St. Helens erupted, killing 57 people, blasting more than 1,300 feet off the top and raining volcanic ash for miles. Today, the volcano has become a world-class outdoor laboratory for the study of volcanoes, ecosystems and forestry, as well as a major recreational and tourist destination.

Within minutes of a 5.1 earthquake on May 18, 1980, the volcano's north flank collapsed, triggering the largest landslide in recorded history. That set off powerful explosions that sent ash, steam, rocks and volcanic gas upward. The lateral blast scorched and flattened about 230 square miles of dense forest.

Soon after, a plume of volcanic ash rose over 80,000 feet and rained down as far as 250 miles away in Spokane. Pushed by winds over the next few days, the ash cloud traveled east across the U.S. circling the earth in 15 days.

The eruption blew about 1,314 feet off the volcano and created a horseshoe-shaped crater in the mountain, which now stands at 8,363 feet.

Posted by: John Nelson AT 11:28 am   |  Permalink   |  Email
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John Nelson is a Seattle area voice actor and broadcaster with extensive experience voicing commercials, video games and corporate videos