Mount St. Helens

September 17-19, 1999

On May 18, 1980 Mount St. Helens erupted explosevily, creating a devistating landscape.

North side East side South side

North side of Mount St. Helen
This side disappeared in the eruption of 1980.

Easth side of Mount St. Helen
You can see a new dome grwoing inside the crater.

South side of Mount St. Helen
This side is still full of snow and glaciers.

Blast Blast Blast

The eruption caused a lateral blast of 670 miles per hour, containing rocks and super heated steam.

This blast flattened everything up to 15 miles away from the vulcano..

The trees on the edge of this blast-zone did not tumble, but all branches and even the bark was torn away.

Blast Blast Blast

The area flattened by the blast is clearly visible.
The vulcano on the horizon is Mount Adams
(another vulcano).

The trees in the blast zone all lay in the same direction
(away from the vulcano).

The 'ice' on this lake are in fact trees.
They were blown by the blast from the hills and ended up in this lake.

Toutle River Valley Lahar Fields

The Toutle River valley on the north side was filled with enormeous amounts of mud, rocks, logs and ashes, causing the valley to be flooded.

The south side was heavily impacted by a mudflow caused by melting snow and ice, which washed away large areas of forests.

Panorama view

Panorama view from Windy Ridge.

Ape Cave

Ape Cave is a 12,810 foot lava tube, it was formed when the exterior of a deep lava flow hardened while the interior continued to flow.

When the liquid lava emptied out of the crust, it left a hollow tube with lava walls.

Sometimes stones were trapped in the ceilings.


North side of Mount St. Helen This side disappeared in the eruption of 1980.	Easth side of Mount St. Helen You can see a new dome grwoing inside the crater.	South side of Mount St. Helen This side is still full of snow and glaciers.


The eruption caused a lateral blast of 670 miles per hour, containing rocks and super heated steam.	This blast flattened everything up to 15 miles away from the vulcano..	The trees on the edge of this blast-zone did not tumble, but all branches and even the bark was torn away.


The area flattened by the blast is clearly visible. The vulcano on the horizon is Mount Adams (another vulcano).	The trees in the blast zone all lay in the same direction (away from the vulcano).	The 'ice' on this lake are in fact trees. They were blown by the blast from the hills and ended up in this lake.


The Toutle River valley on the north side was filled with enormeous amounts of mud, rocks, logs and ashes, causing the valley to be flooded.	The south side was heavily impacted by a mudflow caused by melting snow and ice, which washed away large areas of forests.


Ape Cave is a 12,810 foot lava tube, it was formed when the exterior of a deep lava flow hardened while the interior continued to flow.	When the liquid lava emptied out of the crust, it left a hollow tube with lava walls.	Sometimes stones were trapped in the ceilings.