At 8:32 a.m. on May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted.
Shaken by an earthquake, measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale, the north face of the volcano collapsed in a massive rock debris avalanche. A gap occurred in the mountain, allowing the release of pent-up pressure that erupted laterally in a huge blast. A pyroclastic flow of pumice, superheated ash and gas poured out of the crater. Nearly 230 square miles of forest was blown down or buried beneath volcanic deposits. At the same time a mushroom-shaped column of ash rose miles skyward and drifted downwind, turning day into night as dark, gray ash fell over eastern Washington and beyond. The eruption lasted 9 hours, but Mount St. Helens and the surrounding landscape were dramatically changed within moments.
Mount St. Helens, an impressive volcano in a landscape still devastated after all these years!
"Vancouver, Vancouver, this is it!"
David A. Johnston - volcanologist on the eruption of Mount St. Helens (18 May 1980)
"The moon looks like a golf course compared to what's up there"
Jimmy Carter - US president on Mount St. Helens
18 April 1980, 8.32 am: Mount St Helens erupts. Gary Rosenquist captured the first minute in his world famous photo sequence:
08:32:21.0 am
08:32:47.0 am
08:32:49.2 am
08:32:53.3 am
08:33:03.7 am
08:33:18.8 am
