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The 1980 eruption of Mount St Helens

The 1980 eruption of Mount St Helens Mount St Helens is found in the Cascade Range, along the west coast of Washington State, USA. The volcano is 30,000 years old. This is young by geological standards. Mount St Helens erupts violently about once every 3,000 to 4,000 years. The volcano erupted most recently at 08.32 on 18th May 1980.

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Mount St. Helens 40th Anniversary — The 1980 Eruption

Forty years ago, on May 18th, 1980, Mount St. Helens produced the largest observed eruption in the coterminus United States. This eruption had profound impacts on human life and the science of volcanology, as well as on hazard preparedness, communication, and forecasting.

Mount St. Helens is the most active volcano in the Cascade Range and 40 years ago, a large eruption redefined the field of volcanology. The activity started as a series of small earthquakes on 16 March 1980. By 17 May, after more than 10,000 detected earthquakes, a visible bulge had grown outward by 450 ft on the N flank. On the morning of 18 May, a magnitude 5.1 earthquake triggered a huge landslide, resulting in powerful explosions that ejected hot material above the volcano and laterally outwards to the north. Following the explosion, an eruption column rose more than 80,000 ft into the atmosphere, eventually resulting in heavy ashfall across 22,000 square miles. On the afternoon of 18 May, pyroclastic flows were generated in the crater, traveling as far as 5 miles N of the volcano. Hot rocks and gas melted the snow and ice on the volcano, which caused volcanic mudflows (lahars) to run into the river systems, destroying trees, roads, and bridges along the way.

During the summer and fall of 1980, five smaller explosions resulted in eruption columns and pyroclastic flows. Activity continued through 1986, which included the formation of a new lava dome, minor explosions, and lahars. Since the 1986 activity there have been several periods of increased seismicity and small explosions from the dome.

Mt St Helens 1980

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Mt. St. Helens is a stratovolcano located in Washington, U.S.A erupted on the 18 th May 1980. The eruption, classified as a VEI 5, produced an eruption column 24 km (15 miles) high and emitted 1.3 km 3 of ash , depositing ash across the Pacific Northwest. One of the most damaging features of this eruption was due to a sector collapse on the northern side, producing a 2.3km 3 landslide and resulting in a lateral blast eruption producing large pyroclastic flows . (illustrated by the sequence below)

The mean diameter of ash particles that fell to the ground downwind of Mt. St. Helens during an 8 hour long eruption on May 18, 1980 are shown in the below graphs. Peak wind velocity during the eruption varied between 80 and 140 kph (50 and 86 mph) as measured 400 km (249 miles) downwind of the volcano at approximately 12 km (7 mi) above sea level.

The first sign of activity at Mount St. Helens in the spring of 1980 was a series of small earthquakes that began on March 16. After hundreds of additional earthquakes, steam explosions on March 27 blasted a crater through the volcano's summit ice cap. Within a week the crater had grown to about 1,300 feet in diameter and two giant crack systems crossed the entire summit area. By May 17, more than 10,000 earthquakes had shaken the volcano and the north flank had grown outward at least 450 feet to form a noticeable bulge. Such dramatic deformation of the volcano was strong evidence that molten rock (magma) had risen high into the volcano

Within 15 to 20 seconds of a magnitude 5.1 earthquake at 8:32 a.m., the volcano's bulge and summit slid away in a huge landslide - the largest on Earth in recorded history. The landslide depressurized the volcano's  magma system, triggering powerful explosions that ripped through the sliding debris. Rocks, ash, volcanic gas, and steam were blasted upward and outward to the north. This lateral blast of hot material accelerated to at least 300 miles per hour, then slowed as the rocks and ash fell to the ground and spread away from the volcano; several people escaping the blast on its western edge were able to keep ahead of the advancing cloud by driving 65 to 100 miles an hour! The blast cloud traveled as far as 17 miles northward from the volcano and the landslide traveled about 14 miles west down the North Fork Toutle River.

The lateral blast produced a column of ash and gas (eruption column) that rose more than 15 miles into the atmosphere in only 15 minutes. Less than an hour later, a second eruption column formed as magma erupted explosively from the new crater. Then, beginning just after noon, swift avalanches of hot ash, pumice, and gas (pyroclastic flows) poured out of the crater at 50 to 80 miles per hour and spread as far as 5 miles to the north. Based on the eruption rate of these pyroclastic flows, scientists estimate that the eruption reached its peak between 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. Over the course of the day, prevailing winds blew 520 million tons of ash eastward across the United States and caused complete darkness in Spokane, Washington, 250 miles from the volcano.

During the first few minutes of this eruption, parts of the blast cloud surged over the newly formed crater rim and down the west, south, and east sides of the volcano. The hot rocks and gas quickly melted some of the snow and ice capping the volcano, creating surges of water that eroded and mixed with loose rock debris to form volcanic mudflows (lahars). Several lahars poured down the volcano into river valleys, ripping  trees from their roots and destroying roads and bridges.

The largest and most destructive lahar was formed by water seeping from inside the huge landslide deposit through most of the day. This sustained flow of water eroded material from both the landslide deposit and channel of the North Fork Toutle River. The lahar increased in size as it traveled downstream, destroying bridges and homes and eventually flowing into the Cowlitz River. It reached its maximum size at about midnight in the Cowlitz River about 50 miles downstream from the volcano.

* Volumes are based on uncompacted deposits

Five smaller explosive episodes occurred during the summer and fall of 1980. Each produced eruption columns 8 to 9 miles above sea level and pyroclastic flows down the volcano's north flank. The episodes in June, August, and October also erupted lava in the crater to form a dome. Lava domes are mound- shaped features that form when stiff, viscous lava accumulates over and around a volcanic vent. The June and August domes were destroyed by subsequent explosive episodes.

Beginning with the October 1980 eruption, 17 eruptive episodes built a new lava dome that reached 876 feet above the crater floor.  Minor explosive activity and (or) lahars accompanied several of the 1981 to 1986 episodes. Each of the dome-building episodes added between 1 and 29 million cubic yards of new lava to the dome. Most of the growth occurred when magma extruded onto the surface of the dome, forming short (650 to 1,300 feet), thick (65 to 130 feet) lava flows. During a 12-month-long episode beginning in 1983, however, magma moved primarily into the dome's molten interior, pushing its east side outward by at least 250 feet.  In addition to the 17 dome-building episodes, hundreds of small explosions or bursts of gas and steam occurred, sending ash a few hundred feet to several miles above the volcano. The larger explosions showered the crater with rocks and occasionally generated small lahars.

Since late 1986 several periods of increased seismicity have occurred.  Between 1989 and 1991 there were about 30 bursts of brief but intense seismic activity lasting minutes to hours. Several of these bursts were accompanied by small explosions from the dome. The explosions formed a new vent on the north side of the dome and produced small eruption columns that rose a few miles above the volcano. A few explosions also hurled hot rocks three feet in diameter at least 1/2 mile northward from the dome, generated small pyroclastic flows in the crater, and formed small lahars. During 1995 and 1998 seismicity increased for several months, but there were no accompanying explosions.

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8. Case Studies III: The May 18th, 1980 Mt. St. Helen's Volcanic Eruption and Super Volcanic Eruptions

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Volcano Ecology: State of the Field and Contributions of Mount St. Helens Research

• First Online: 30 January 2018

Cite this chapter

• Frederick J. Swanson 3 &
• Charles M. Crisafulli 4  

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4 Citations

A review of published studies of terrestrial and freshwater ecosystem responses to disturbance by volcanic processes reveals some unifying themes: most eruption events leave biological legacies of the pre-disturbance ecosystems, and the course of post-disturbance succession involves the protracted interplay of these legacies with immigrating species, biotic interactions, site amelioration, and secondary biological and geophysical disturbance processes. Research at Mount St. Helens has been a major contributor to this body of work dating from 1883 when the eruption of Krakatau marked the beginning of ecological studies of recent eruptions.

• Biogeography
• Disturbance ecology
• Ecological succession
• Global volcanism
• Land management
• Mount St. Helens
• Science outreach
• Volcanic hazards
• Volcano ecology

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Terms in bold italic face are defined in the glossary at the end of the chapter.

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Acknowledgments

We greatly appreciate the assistance of E. Schyling in assembly of the bibliographic database, K. Christiansen in creation of the Fig. 16.1 , and K. Ronnenberg for creation of timeline, photo plate, and additional editorial assistance. Reviews of the manuscript by V. Dale, J. Franklin, C. Millar, and R. Parmenter were especially helpful. Funding for our research activities at Mount St. Helens and abroad has been provided by the USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station and the National Science Foundation (LTREB Program DEB-0614538). Collaborations with colleagues at Mount St. Helens and in Alaska, Chile, Argentina, China, and Iceland have strengthened our volcano ecology perspectives. We acknowledge and thank the ecologists who since the 1883 eruption of Krakatau have provided important foundational work in the field of volcano ecology.

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Frederick J. Swanson

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Charles M. Crisafulli

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Virginia H. Dale

Live and dead organisms and organic matter that survive an ecological disturbance and may affect the pace and pattern of post-disturbance ecosystem development.

A form of pyroclastic density current initiated by rapid decompression of lava domes or cryptodomes (magma bodies cooled high within a volcanic edifice) owing to sudden collapse. Rapid decompression results in a directed explosion that initially impels the current laterally before it becomes a gravity-driven flow. [Sources: a generalized definition based on definitions of PDCs provided in Pierson and Major ( 2014 ) and Sigurdsson et al. ( 2015 )]. In the case of the Mount St. Helens 1980 eruption, failure of the volcano’s north flank unroofed pressurized magma and superheated groundwater. Rapid exsolution of magmatic gases and conversion of superheated groundwater to steam produced a laterally directed blast, which formed a density current that flowed across rugged topography. The current contained fragmented rock debris as well as shattered forest material (Lipman and Mullineaux 1981 ).

A rapid granular flow of an unsaturated or partly saturated mixture of volcanic rock particles (± ice) and water, initiated by the gravitational collapse and disintegration of part of a volcanic edifice. Debris avalanches differ from debris flows in that they are not water-saturated. Although debris avalanches commonly occur in association with eruptions, they can also occur during periods when a volcano is dormant. (Sources: Pierson and Major 2014 ; Sigurdsson et al. 2015 ).

An Indonesian term for a rapid granular flow of a fully saturated mixture of volcanic rock particles (± ice), water, and commonly woody debris. A lahar that has ≥50% solids by volume is termed a debris flow ; one that has roughly 10–50% solids by volume is termed a hyperconcentrated flow . Flow type can evolve with time and distance along a flow path as sediment is entrained or deposited. (Sources: Pierson and Major 2014 ; Sigurdsson et al. 2015 ).

Rapid flow of a dry mixture of hot (commonly >700 °C) solid particles, gases, and air, with a ground-hugging flow that is often directed by topography. Flows are generally gravity driven but may be accelerated initially by impulsive lateral forces of directed volcanic explosions. Flows typically move at high velocity (up to several hundred km h −1 ).

Localized sites where organisms survive a disturbance event at a level greater than the surrounding, disturbance-affected area.

Development of an ecosystem following disturbance, including processes such as species assembly by immigration and establishment, species interactions (e.g., herbivory), and site amelioration (e.g., weathering of inorganic substrates). Primary succession refers to cases with no legacies of the pre-disturbance ecosystem; secondary succession refers to cases where some biota from the pre-disturbance ecosystem persists.

A rain of volcanic particles to the ground following ejection into the atmosphere by an explosive eruption. Tephra is a collective term for particles of any size, shape, or composition ejected in an explosive eruption. (Sources: Pierson and Major 2014 ; Sigurdsson et al. 2015 ).

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Swanson, F.J., Crisafulli, C.M. (2018). Volcano Ecology: State of the Field and Contributions of Mount St. Helens Research. In: Crisafulli, C., Dale, V. (eds) Ecological Responses at Mount St. Helens: Revisited 35 years after the 1980 Eruption. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7451-1_16

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Mount St. Helens retrospective: Lessons learned since 1980 and remaining challenges

Since awakening from a 123-year repose in 1980, Mount St. Helens has provided an opportunity to study changes in crustal magma storage at an active arc volcano—a process of fundamental importance to eruption forecasting and hazards mitigation. There has been considerable progress, but important questions remain unanswered. Was the 1980 eruption triggered by an injection of magma into an upper crustal reservoir? If so, when? How did magma rise into the edifice without producing detectable seismicity deeper than ∼2.5 km or measurable surface deformation beyond the volcano’s north flank? Would precursory activity have been recognized earlier if current monitoring techniques had been available? Despite substantial improvements in monitoring capability, similar questions remain after the dome-forming eruption of 2004–2008. Did additional magma accumulate in the reservoir between the end of the 1980–1986 eruption and the start of the 2004–2008 eruption? If so, when? What is the significance of a relative lull in seismicity and surface deformation for several years prior to the 2004–2008 eruption onset? How did magma reach the surface without producing seismicity deeper than ∼2 km or measurable deformation more than a few hundred meters from the vent? Has the reservoir been replenished since the eruption ended, and is it now primed for the next eruption? What additional precursors, if any, should be expected? This paper addresses these questions, explores possible answers, and identifies unresolved issues in need of additional study. The 1980–1986 and 2004–2008 eruptions could have resulted from second boiling during crystallization of magma long-resident in an upper crustal reservoir, rather than from injection of fresh magma from below. If reservoir pressurization and magma ascent were slow enough, resulting strain might have been accommodated by viscoelastic deformation, without appreciable seismicity or surface deformation, until rising magma entered a brittle regime within 2–2.5 km of the surface. Given the remarkably gas-poor nature of the 2004–2008 dome lava, future eruptive activity might require a relatively long period of quiescence and reservoir pressurization or a large injection of fresh magma—an event that arguably has not occurred since the Kalama eruptive period (C.E. 1479–1720).

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30th Anniversary of the Eruption of Mt. St. Helens

August 29, 1979 JPEG

September 24, 1980 JPEG

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Google Earth - 1979 - 2013 KML

In mid-March 1980, a series of small earthquakes began shaking the ground at Mt. St. Helens in southern Washington. Over the next two months, the northern flank of the mountain was deformed by a large bulge—a sign that upwelling magma was pushing up on the rock from below. On the morning of May 18, an earthquake caused the entire north flank of the volcano to collapse in a massive avalanche. Relieved of the overlying pressure, the volcano ejected a blast of rocks, ash, gas, and steam that blew down and buried several hundred square miles of forest.

This trio of false-color Landsat satellite images is part of a 30-year time series documenting the destruction and recovery at Mt. St. Helens. Vegetation is red, bare rock and volcanic debris are gray, and clear water is dark blue. (In the complete time series, images from 1984 onward are in photo-like natural color.) The 1979 view (top) shows the snow-covered summit of the perfectly shaped stratovolcano, and the mixture of forest types surrounding the mountain. The darkest red areas are likely undisturbed forests (e.g., north of the volcano), while to the east is a patchwork of forest and logging clear cuts. Lighter red vegetation northwest and west of the volcano are probably tree plantations.

The image from September 24, 1980 (middle), shows the devastation of the May 18 eruption. The northern flank of the mountain collapsed, producing the largest landslide in recorded history. The avalanche buried 14 miles (23 kilometers) of the North Fork Toutle River with an average of 150 feet (46 meters)—but in places up to 600 feet (180 meters)—of rocks, dirt, and trees. The blast spread rock and ash (gray in the images) over 230 square miles (600 square kilometers). A raft of dead trees floats across Spirit Lake. Volcanic mudflows (lahars) poured down rivers and gullies around the intact flanks.

Three decades later, the image from September 10, 2009, shows the recovery in the blast zone. Most of the landscape within the blast zone has at least a tinge of red, meaning vegetation has recolonized the ground. The flanks of the volcano itself are still bare, as is a broad expanse north of the volcano called the Pumice Plain. Directly in the path of the landslide and several pyroclastic flows, this area has been slowest to recover.

Ground surveys, however, have found even this seemingly barren area is coming back to life: the first plant to re-appear was a prairie lupine, which can take nitrogen—a critical plant nutrient—straight from the air rather than from the soil. These small wildflowers begin the crucial task of rebuilding the soil and attracting insects and herbivores. This process is underway on the Pumice Plain, even though it is not yet visible from space.

NASA images by Robert Simmon, based on Landsat 2,3, and 5 data. Animation by Jennifer Shoemaker. Caption by Rebecca Lindsey.

View this area in EO Explorer

A trio of images documents the devastation and recovery of the landscape around Mt. St. Helens Volcano following its cataclysmic 1980 eruption.

Image of the Day for May 18, 2010

Image of the Day Land Life

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References & Resources

• Bishop, J., Fagan, W., Schade, J., & Crisafulli, C. (2005). Chapter 11: Causes and Consequences of Herbivory on Prairie Lupine (Lupinus lepidus) in Early Primary Succession. In Ecological responses to the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens [Dale, V. H., Swanson, F. J., Crisafulli, C. M., Eds.] (pp. 151-161). Birkhauser. Retrieved online [Google Books] May 17, 2010.
• Brantley, S. & Myers, B. (2000). Mount St. Helens -- From the 1980 Eruption to 2000: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 036-00. Retrieved May 17, 2010.
• Clynne, M., Ramsay, D., & Wolfe, E. (2005). Pre-1980 Eruptive History of Mount St. Helens, Washington | USGS Fact Sheet 2005-3045. Retrieved May 17, 2010.

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An astronaut’s view of mount st. helens.

The area around the volcano has been left to recover naturally from the disaster, which it has done quite nicely, if slowly.

Image of the Day Land

Mount St. Helens, October 2008

Nearly three decades after the catastrophic eruption of Mount St. Helens, the impact on the forest in the blast zone is still obvious in this astronaut photograph. South of the mountain, lush green forests cover the landscape, while north of the mountain, vegetation remains sparse.

Mount St. Helens, Washington

On May 18, 1980, Mount Saint Helens volcano erupted. Because the eruption occurred in an easily accessible region of the U.S., Mount St. Helens has provided unprecedented opportunities for U.S. researchers to collect scientific observations of the geology of an active volcano and document the regional ecological impact and recovery from an eruption.