AD
Additional Events on LEEP
LEEP INK FEATURES
August is Appropos
A toddler playing in the fountain at a park in Santa Fe, New Mexico—Photo LD Lewis. In August, we live through the Dog Days of Summer. It's hot and often humid, and those ...
September is Sassy
Can you hear that sigh of relief from parents worldwide? Yes! September marks the return of students to school, a global phenomenon. Preparations for the ACT and SATs begin earnestly for ...
OOH LA LA, October
October is the busiest month for events, with 5% more happening than in May, the second most eventful month. Sailing enthusiasts will be glued to the finals of this year's Am...
About the Anniversary of Mt. St. Helens Eruption
Ends: May 18, 2022
DESCRIPTION:
Today is the 40th anniversary of the May 18, 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens. This Plinian eruption was in the same category as the infamous Mt Vesuvius eruption of 79AD and ranked five on the Volcanic Explosivity Index. That index measures volcanos on a scale of 1-7. Seven would match the volcanic eruption 600,000 years ago that created the Yellowstone Caldera and covered over 100 cubed kilometers. By contrast, Mt. St. Helens blew out 1 cubed kilometers.
The blast cloud traveled as far as 17 miles northward from the volcano and the landslide traveled about 14 miles west down the North Fork Toutle River.
Prevailing winds blew 520 million tons of ash eastward across the United States and caused complete darkness in Spokane, Washington, 250 miles from the volcano. Fifty-seven people lost their lives as a result of the eruption, in addition to over 7000 big game animals and around 12-million salmon.
Personal note from Laura:
My family had just moved to Portland, Oregon from the Silicon Valley in January of 1980, when in February and March, rumblings began to be heard on the mountain. We traded earthquakes for volcanos it seemed. On May 18th, the mountain completely exploded. You could see the cloud from Seattle, Washington and Portland, Oregon.
That first major explosion blew east, rather than west where we lived. For weeks following it one could follow the ash cloud spread in a large funnel shape from its origin, over the Rockies and into the Dakotas. The cloud was so large and dense in ash, it could be clearly seen from outer space.
I remember my father loading us in the FIAT and taking us to the top of Skyline Drive, which runs along the hills separating where we lived from the city of Portland and the Willamette River. It seemed to go on and on, as high as the eye could see. The mountain seemed to cough up billow after billow of gas and hot ash. We’d never seen anything like it. The entire top of the mountain, we would later discover, had been blown off.
Over the next several months the mountain continued to erupt, with the wind not always in our favor. One particular Saturday my parents held a garage sale. When we walked outside, it looked like it was snowing. It wasn’t. It was ash, falling from the sky and covering it in several inches of grey, flaky dusk.
That dust got into everything and when it rained, it turned into a thick paste. We had to walk around for days with monkey masks (disposable medical masks), which as a young teen, I really hated. But, the air was too thick to breathe. One of the aspects I remember fondly was when my father allowed me to help him take apart the engine of the FIAT and clean it. Every part was caked in ash dust. Thank heaven it wasn’t as complicated as today’s engines. It had a manual choke, and no radio. It was a great learning experience and a great father-daughter project. Little did I know in a few years, that car would be mine.
For those of us who witnessed Mount Saint Helens and her eruption, it is something we’ll never forget. For us, far away, it was curiosity. For those close, fifty-seven people lost their lives. Most from inhaling scalding ash.
Round about the 25th anniversary I found myself in Oregon again. Now in my thirties, I drove my car up to the mountain, which was again open. The forest was beginning to come back. Animals had returned and for a moment it was difficult to believe the event ever happened. Until, one glanced skyward and saw. A crater where a rounded dome once stood, a mountain top shaved.
Oh yes, now, I remember. I remember well.
VIDEOS
Currently, this event does not have supporting videos.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS
Currently, this event does not have supporting documents.
ADDITIONAL IMAGES
Currently, this event does not have supporting images.
Where would you like to go now?
AD
/footer-logo.svg){kind=logo}
LEGAL: Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear attribution is given to Jubilee LLC and LEEPCalendar.com, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content (Page URL). Additional documents, embedded videos and additional image rights retained by their creators and are provided to increase understanding of the event or topic.
Jubilee LLC reserves the right to accept or reject inclusion of events in this calendar. The appearance of an event in LEEP Calendar does not imply endorsement of the event, nor the organization championing the event by Jubilee LLC, its stakeholders, customers or subsidiaries. All dates, contact information, URLs, addresses, and information relating to any event, promotion or holiday are subject to change without notice and should be treated as estimated. Jubilee LLC, our stakeholders, customers and subsidiaries cannot warrant accuracy. Users of this application are solely responsible for verifying actual event date with organizers and additional sources prior to committing resources, financial, human or otherwise.
Jubilee LLC, 1712 Pioneer Avenue,Suite 2019 Cheyenne, WY 82001 +1 (484) 226 4777
Copyright © Jubilee LLC / LEEPCalendar.com 2024. All rights reserved.
/Icon awesome-facebook-square.svg)
/Icon awesome-instagram.svg)
/Icon awesome-twitter-square.svg)
/Icon awesome-linkedin.svg)
/Icon awesome-behance-square.svg)