What started as an emergency fix following the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens is in need of a more permanent plan, and the U.S. Forest Service is asking for ...

The May 18, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens killed 57 people, according to the USGS. Most people died from asphyxiation or trauma from pyroclastic flows, a mix of rocks, ash, and gas, the USGS ...

Why it matters: For centuries, people lived in the shadow of Mount St. Helens, but the threat of an eruption had always been theoretical until May 18, 1980.

The last time Mount St. Helens erupted was in 2008. Now it's recharging. — -- Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980, after two months of increasing volcanic activity. Since its most recent ...

UPDATED: May 16, 2025 at 5:54 PM PDT Forty-five years ago on May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens in the state of Washington violently erupted. Here’s a look at volcanoes, then and now.

The eruption of Mount St. Helens was much more powerful than any hurricane, any explosion of a nuclear weapon, any. It was, it was a devastating event for southwest Washington state 44 years ago.

The eruption produced a massive ash cloud that circled the Earth for 15 days. While volcanic eruptions can have a long-lasting impact on Earth’s temperature, Mount St. Helens’ eruption didn’t.

In 2004, for example, researchers had about a week’s notice before a minor eruption at Mount St. Helens. In 1980, there was only one instrument on the mountain.

Sunday marks 45 years since Mount St. Helens erupted in Washington state. The deadly eruption happened shortly after 8:30 a.m. on May 18, 1980, following months of small explosions and earthquakes.

Before erupting in 1980, Mount St. Helens was a steep, conical volcano sometimes referred to as the Mount Fuji of America. During the 1980 eruption, the upper 1,300 feet of the summit was removed ...