Mt. St. Helens National Monument
On the morning of May 18th, 1980, Mt. St. Helens- a 9,600 foot volcanic mountain in Washington State- exploded. It had been quiet for 123 years. At 9,600 feet it was not the tallest mountain in the Pacific Northwest- but its symmetrical cone shape, and cloak of snow made it one of the most beautiful. Spirit Lake at its base, and the surrounding forests were a popular recreation area, with boating, camping, and hiking. In May of 1980, the mountain began rumbling. New craters gaped open at its peak, and began spitting steam and ash. The rumblings, and minor eruption continued for many weeks.
In the early morning hours of May 18th a sudden earthquake shook the mountain.
The north face collapsed in a avalanche. The cone shape mountain- that
had been compared to Mt. Fuji- abruptly slumped into the horseshoe shaped
shell seen here. With the pent-up pressure of the volcano's core suddenly
released a tremendous side ways blast of hot gases roared out across the
landscape.
The explosion tore the trees from the hills surrounding the volcano. Forests
as far away as 13 miles away were leveled. The shorn crowns of the toppled
trees point in great spiraling rows away from the center of the blast. Today-
when hiking around the Mountain- you can tell the direction of the blast
by the occasional stands of upright trees on the sheltered sides of hills
and ridges opposite the Volcano. Even those trees that escaped being toppled
were incinerated.
Following the explosion great carpets of ash, and pumice slid down the mountain.
Cushioned on a layer of trapped air these "pyroclastic flows"
raced along at highway speeds. Finally the melted glaciers, and snow pack
of the mountain combined with the ash to form mud flows that bulldozed
down the slopes. Spirit Lake,seen here, was choked with timber, and ash.
Its level raised by 200 feet.
The volcano shot a huge column of ash 16 miles into the air. It continued erupting
ash for many days. The prevailing winds carried the ash eastward, where
it gradually "snowed" down, turning day into night. Cities like
Spokane Washington were smothered under 3 inches of ash. The swirling ash
clouds sparked lighting bolts that caused forest fires. The warning rumblings
of Mt. St. Helens allowed for evacuations before the eruption- but still
57 people died.
Mt. St. Helens has not gone back to sleep. Since 1980 small eruptions have
begun building a lava dome in the crater. The dome- here photographed from
a helicopter- has reached a height of 1,000 feet. Lava erupts from the
top of the dome, and oozes down the sides, gradually increasing its height.
The dome sitting in the hollowed out crater resembles a great egg in a
nest. Occasional bursts of gas, and ash shoot up from the crater and rise
high into the atmosphere.
This is the inner crater wall as seen from a helicopter. Mt. St. Helens is one
of the most active Volcanoes on the North American Continent. It is a young
volcano, only 40,000 years old, and has sprouted up to its current great
size in only the last few thousand years. Indian legends recount eruptions
during the past 5,000 years. Analysis of the lava flows reveal it erupted
in the 1600's. During the first half of the 19th Century early settlers
recorded intermittent eruptions. After another minor eruption in 1857 Mt.
St. Helens lay dormant for 123 years, until the great shattering explosion
of 1980.
Mt. St. Helens is not the prettiest National Park. It is the earth with its
skin ripped off. The gray muddy colors, and textures resembles a construction
project more than the typical National Park. Rain has gouged out scar like
streams in the boneyards of desiccated trees. It lacks the subtle shades
of color and gentle contours of Haleakula, and other older volcanoes. Still
this rawness adds to the sense of awe you feel as you stand in this scarred
landscape and think of the forces that erupted out of the earth to do this.
Hiking trails lead around the mountain, and up into the crater. These two photos are from the trail from the Windy Ridge viewpoint parking area towards Ape Canyon. This trail skirts the eastern slopes of the volcano (left photo). The lack of trees allows you to see the immense barren landscape from each point on the trail. There is some vegetation, and more than a few flying bugs (aren't nature's restorative powers wonderful?) On the "Plains of Abraham" (right photo) I often heard a distant crashing noise. I imagined this might have been rocks rolling down the bulging lava dome inside the crater.
The establishment of Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument illustrates another use of the National park system. Following the eruption a popular recreation area was turned into a blasted moonscape. Declaring the area a National Monument helped the local tourist industry re-build. More importantly, without the park system, and the idea of eternal preservation that goes along with it, it would be difficult to forbid people from living in these sometimes dangerous areas. Like Lassen, and Hawaii Volcanoes National Parks, Mt. St. Helens National Monument not only protects a wonderfull unique landscapes it protects later generations from disaster. The establishment of National Parks in these areas serves as a way of solidifying common sense into traditions that will outlast memory.
- Siebert's Scenics: Mt. St. Helens.
- Homepage of Sarah Boomer and John Gosink (Article on Mt. St. Helens).
- Sacred Heart Church web site: Cascade Volcanos: Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens, and Mt. Adams.
All images © John Donohue, 1995,1996