I was staying in a cabin with my parents near Kalispell when it erupted. I remember seeing the dark cloud coming while we were outside barbecuing. The next day ash covered everything. I took some to school for show and tell.
Volcanos are amazing and scary as hell. Having half a mountain blow up and scatter ash for hundreds of miles is like a hydrogen bomb being detonated.
Much of my family lives in Washington state. My aunt was on a canoeing trip when it happened. Back then there was no cell phones or communication of any kind really if you were in the deep woods. They didn't understand what was happening. They draped tarps over themselves to protect against the falling ash. She says they were sure it was the end of the world.
yeah that would have been 'may long' that weekend, and we were down camping in Montana as I recall- mostly remember the site and vehicle covered in a layer of ash
I lived in Victoria when this happened and could hear the explosions as they happened, I remember opening the front door and feeling the gentle blasts against my face. Had no idea what it was, took me a couple hours to find out.
I lived on the East Shore of Kootenay Lake when she went off. I remember people saying they felt tremors, and of course the ash! I also remember stories of the Ainsworth Hot Springs going black after the eruption.
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The eruption was a 24 Megaton release of energy equivalent to 1600 of the bombs dropped on Hiroshima.
It was a class 5 on the Volcanic explosivity Index. To put that in perspective, in our life time we've only seen one bigger which was Krakatoain 1883 and Pinatua in 1993, and those were class 6
There was a class 7 eruption about 200 years ago. We haven't seen a class 8 eruption in modern history.
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Every once in a while, you can see steam shooting out the side of Mount Baker if you live on the east side of the GVRD. It's a good reminder of the danger that exists.
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It is amazing flying from Seattle to California. You see this chain of volcanos dominating the scenery, one after another. Baker, Rainier, St. Helens, Hood, Shasta.
The area around St. Helens is still a wasteland. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire, ash, and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume.
Yellowstone is scary even for Calgary but it's doesn't appear to be overdue as people claim, Yellowstone has experienced three super eruptions at 2.08, 1.3, and 0.631 million years ago, math says we have almost 100,000 years to plan our demise.
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My friend and her Dad were in a small plane taking pictures of the blast while it happened. Pretty amazing photos. I mountain biked Mt St Helens last summer, what a great place to ride.
Yellowstone is scary even for Calgary but it's doesn't appear to be overdue as people claim, Yellowstone has experienced three super eruptions at 2.08, 1.3, and 0.631 million years ago, math says we have almost 100,000 years to plan our demise.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch
Buzz kill, I was hoping for the next week or two.
Well, it is 2020, so there's still hope.
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It is amazing flying from Seattle to California. You see this chain of volcanos dominating the scenery, one after another. Baker, Rainier, St. Helens, Hood, Shasta.
The area around St. Helens is still a wasteland. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire, ash, and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume.
My friend and her Dad were in a small plane taking pictures of the blast while it happened. Pretty amazing photos. I mountain biked Mt St Helens last summer, what a great place to ride.
The visitor center is one of the better I have been to. There is a 15 minute video that you start with, and when it is over, the screen rises, and you see the mountain directly ahead of you. Just a spectacular scene!
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Mount St. Helens Eruption: 40 Years Ago Today
