Mt St Helens, a volcano in Washington State, had a huge eruption on May 18, 1980. The damages were over a billion dollars, and 57 people lost their lives. Far from the worst volcanic eruption on record, but one of probably the most shocking. It took a lot more than a couple of payday installment loans to clean up, and Mt St Helens has been closely watched since.
Mt St Helens 1980 eruption
Mt St Helens had been dormant for a lot more than a century, but in March 1980, earthquakes began to shake the mountain. Close monitoring started at that point. An earthquake with a magnitude above 5 on the Richter scale hit the volcano. The north face nearly collapsed in a landslide, which triggered a release of pressure culminating in an eruption. Gas, magma, rock and other debris blasted out of the side.
The explosion blasts
A pyroclastic blast traveling at the speed of sound exploded out of the side as a result of the landslide. The debris was shot 20 miles away. After the initial explosion, 17 further pyroclastic flows belched forth from the bowels of the volcano. Two weeks after the explosion and flows, the pyroclastic material that flowed from the volcano still was 800 degrees Fahrenheit.
Damages
The flow of debris and material extended almost 20 miles away from the mountain. Mud flows and debris were shot into river systems, causing floods and heavy damage to river systems. The volcano spewed forth over a cubic mile of debris. 200 homes, 27 bridges, 15 miles of railway and 185 miles of highway were destroyed, and 57 perished. President Jimmy Carter flew out to observe the damage and compared it to the surface of the moon.
Further fallout
An ash cloud was shot 12 miles into the atmosphere. Washington State was covered with ash, with the city of Yakima getting a heavy coat by the next day. Spokane, Wash., was plunged into total darkness, with a visibility of about 10 feet. Ash fell as far away as Minnesota and New Mexico. Airports were forced to ground flights as a result, like the recent Iceland volcano eruptions did. The energy released by the blast was 1,600 times more powerful than the nuclear bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima. The mountain lost over 1,000 feet in height, and a crater was created almost 2. Given that the eruption, some smaller eruptions have taken place. Mt St Helens caused a lot more than $ 1 billion in damages (almost $ 3 billion today). It was among the worst natural disasters in US history, and one more reminder that Mother Nature can be a cruel mistress.
Sources
Mt St Helens
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_eruption_of_Mount_St._Helens
