Mnt. St. Helens

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Mt. St. Helens Introduction Mount Saint Helens is one of the most well known volcanoes in America today. Its eruption in 1980 caused one of the biggest uproars about volcanoes. It astonished millions and gained respect nation wide. With the eruption of Mount Saint Helens came one of the biggest stories and promotional deals a volcano would ever receive. To some it was breathtaking, to others it was disastrous, but to everyone it was a wonder of God and nature.

About the mountain Mount Saint Helens is the youngest of the mountains located within the cascade range in Washington State. The volcano is now considered to be active because it has erupted within in the past few decades. Its latest eruption occurred in 1980. Before this the volcano was classified as dormant because its last eruption had occurred in 1853 - 1857. The eruption of 1980 was so violent that today the mountain stands only 8364 feet high, a great distance away from its previous height of 9677 feet before the eruption.

The blast completely blew the top off the mountain. Also, news reports show that debris and steam from the blast was seen in Salem, Oregon 100 miles away.

Before 1980, snow-capped, gracefully symmetrical Mount St. Helens was known as the "Fujiyama of America." Mount St. Helens, other active Cascade volcanoes, and those of Alaska make up the North American segment of the circum-Pacific "Ring of Fire," an infamous zone that produces frequent, often destructive, earthquake and volcanic activity.

Some Indians of the Pacific Northwest diversely called Mount St. Helens "Louwala-Clough," or "smoking mountain." The modern name, Mount St. Helens, was given to the volcanic peak in 1792 by Captain George Vancouver of the British Royal Navy, a seafarer and explorer. He named it in honor of...