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 individuals lost their lives. While it was not the worst volcanic eruption on record, it nevertheless was a shock. Ever given that then, Mt St Helens has been watched like a hawk, and a lot more than a couple of installment loan went into repairing the damage.
Mt St Helens 1980 eruption
In March of 1980, Mt St Helens was shaken by a series of earthquakes after being dormant for over a century. For the next two months, the mountain was closely monitored. On May 18, an earthquake with a magnitude of 5 on the Richter scale shook the mountain. A landslide on the north face opened a vent to the interior. The side of the mountain exploded, sending super heated gases, magma, rock and other debris out of the side of the volcano.
The pyroclastic (volcanic) blast that ripped through the side of the mountain as a result of the landslide reached the speed of sound. The debris was shot 20 miles out of the side. After the first 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
Material flowed out of the volcano up to 20 miles away. 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. A total of 57 individuals died; 200 homes, 27 bridges, 15 miles of railroad track and 185 miles of highway were destroyed. President Jimmy Carter flew out to observe the damage and compared it to the surface of the moon.
Continuing affects
The ash cloud from the eruption was 12 miles tall. Washington state was blanketed by ash fall, and by May 19, ash had covered Yakima. 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 a lot 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. Since the eruption, some smaller eruptions have taken place. Mt St Helens caused more than $ 1 billion in damages (almost $ 3 billion today). For all her beauty and bounty, Mother Nature is indeed the harshest of mistresses at times.
Citations
Mt St Helens
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_eruption_of_Mount_St._Helens
