Videos

Mount St. Helens and Yellowstone are two of the most well-known volcanoes in the United States. They have some pretty obvious differences, but they have some similarities as well. So, just how similar are Mount St. Helens and Yellowstone?

Mt St. Helens before 1980, Land of Transformation

A stylistic interpretation of pre eruption snowcapped Mount St Helens as seen from a blue Spirit Lake with green rolling hills.  

Text changes to May 18, 1980, Eruption. There is a grey explosion of rocks and smoke coming out the top of Mt St Helens. The hills and water are grey and brown.

Mt St. Helens before 1980, Land of Transformation

A stylistic interpretation of pre eruption snowcapped Mount St Helens as seen from a blue Spirit Lake with green rolling hills.  

Text changes to May 18, 1980, Eruption. There is a grey explosion of rocks and smoke coming out the top of Mt St Helens. The hills and water are grey and brown.

The May 18, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens was historic and fundamentally changed how we see volcanoes. For those who lost family and friends, homes, and their livelihoods, it was an unimaginable tragedy. For others around the world, the eruption was an exciting curiosity, an experience they could share with their kids and grandkids.

The May 18, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens was historic and fundamentally changed how we see volcanoes. For those who lost family and friends, homes, and their livelihoods, it was an unimaginable tragedy. For others around the world, the eruption was an exciting curiosity, an experience they could share with their kids and grandkids.

May is Volcano Awareness Month in Washington State. There's no better time to learn five incredible facts about Mount St. Helens. This list is a truncated version of the popular 30 Cool Facts about Mount St. Helens (usgs.gov) poster.

May is Volcano Awareness Month in Washington State. There's no better time to learn five incredible facts about Mount St. Helens. This list is a truncated version of the popular 30 Cool Facts about Mount St. Helens (usgs.gov) poster.

Title: Mount St. Helens Revisited: Lives Changed, Lessons Learned, and Legacies of the 1980 Eruptions

By Carolyn Driedger, USGS Hydrologist & Outreach Specialist

Jon Major, scientist-in-charge of the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory, provides an overview of the major volcano hazards in the Cascades, the function and responsibilities of the Cascades Volcano Observatory, and a brief synopsis of what's been going on at Mount Baker, Glacier Peak, Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, Mount St.

The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens was monumental in so many different ways. It had a huge impact on the geography of southwestern Washington, ash affected many people, lives were lost, and lessons were learned. The eruption also led to the creation of the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory in Vancouver, Washington.

The good news is that volcanoes usually change behavior before they erupt, in ways that are detectable by monitoring instruments.

Throughout most of human existence, we haven't known much about how volcanoes work. Because of their immense power, they have terrified and fascinated us, and remain places of great spiritual importance for many people. The lack of knowledge about volcanoes has sometimes resulted in tragic and deadly disasters.

How did the May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens change peoples’ lives? Carolyn Driedger talks about events that led up to the 1980 eruption and influenced scientists’ response to it, as well as what happened on May 18, and how the eruption changed people's lives and professions.

What stories do rocks tell? What techniques do scientists use to study volcanoes? Dr. Heather Wright talks about the May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, provides an overview of volcanoes and how they erupt, and shows why scientists continue to monitor this active volcano, in this presentation to the Sno-Isle Libraries’ 2021 Whidbey Reads program.

During Aug. 4-8, 2019, U.S. Geological Survey women scientists, university researchers and Mount St. Helens Institute staff led 25 middle-school girls from Washington and Oregon in the fifth annual “GeoGirls” outdoor volcano science program at Mount St. Helens, Washington.
 

On September 25, 2018, a team of three scientists based at the USGS–Cascades Volcano Observatory conducted the first-ever USGS-led Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) campaign at Mount St. Helens. The UAS survey was conducted with the permission and coordination of the U.S. Forest Service Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.

On September 25, 2018, a team of three scientists based at the USGS–Cascades Volcano Observatory conducted the first-ever USGS-led Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) campaign at Mount St. Helens. The UAS survey was conducted with the permission and coordination of the U.S. Forest Service Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.

Twenty middle-school girls from Washington and Oregon participated in the 2016 “GeoGirls” outdoor volcano science program at Mount St. Helens, jointly organized by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Mount St. Helens Institute. 

Volcano gas geochemistry has been around for a long time. Scientists can make gas measurements using very large, very expensive Correlation Spectrometers or collect samples in the field and bring them back for analysis in the lab. But it’s possible we’re missing out on a lot of information because our monitoring capabilities don’t include continuous observation.

The video shows time-lapse changes in the lava dome and Crater Glacier from 2004-2012. The images were created from 1:12,000 scale vertical aerial photographs combined with ground control points from campaign GPS and targets. Photogrammetry software was used to collect a 3-D point cloud and combined to make a digital elevation model (DEM).

USGS scientists recount their experiences before, during and after the May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. Loss of their colleague David A. Johnston and 56 others in the eruption cast a pall over one of the most dramatic geologic moments in American history.