13 May 2020
This week marks the 40th anniversary of the historic eruption of Mount St Helens, an active stratovolcano located in Skamania County, Washington State, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The eruption was the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic event in U.S. history.
On May 18th, 1980 a 5.1-magnitude quake led to the largest recorded landslide with an eruption of magma that flattened 600 square kilometers of forest. The eruption lasted nine hours causing a column of ash to rise 18 miles in the air, with 540 million tonnes coating the Pacific Northwest and drifting as far east as Wyoming. In total some 1,300 feet of mountain blew off.
Mount St. Helens was formed over 300,000 years ago. In 1972 British explorer George Vancouver named the peak after fellow Brit, Alleyne Fitzherbert, Baron St. Helens. In 1982, the U.S. Congress designated Mount St. Helens as America's first National Volcanic Monument.
The Mount St. Helens Visitor Center opened its doors to the public a few years after the monumental eruption. Functioning as a gateway to the mountain, the Center educates visitors on the historical significance of the landscape before and during the eruption. The highlight of a Mt. St. Helens visit is found at Johnston Ridge Observatory overlooking the crater to view the lava dome and growing glacier. The Center is open from mid-May to the end of October.
The natural recovery of the destruction zone is quite fascinating. Mount St. Helens has rebuilt about seven percent of the mass it lost in the eruption. Wild animals such as mountain goats and elks have now returned to the area and flora and fauna is thriving. The Prairie Lupine was the first known species to return to the area after the eruption. The flower enriched the soil through nitrogen fixation, allowing other greenery to return faster than expected, including edible wild strawberries.
Click here for a range of downloadable itineraries, maps and cruise brochures to help you plan your next visit to Seattle and Washington State. Our 'Take the Ultimate Pacific Northwest Road Trip in Western Washington' itinerary includes Mount St. Helens. www.seattlecruisealaska.co.uk
Ends
For further information, videos and images, contact:
Anna Watt, Core Communications Tel: 07815 898995 or Caroline Corfield-Rose Tel: 07979 706 553 / + 44 1494 762328 Email: anna@corecommunications.co.uk or Caroline@corecommunications.co.uk
