Mt.St Helens
By: Caroline Westbrook and Sarah Kim
Destruction of Mount St. Helens
The forests around Mt. St Helens were completely stripped. Everything in a eight mile range was destroyed instantly! 57 people were killed and 200 homes were destroyed. Railroads and roads were left in pieces and sewage systems were clogged with ash. Mt. St Helens eruption was the most destructive in U.S History!
Specks about the Eruption
Mount St. Helens was a Stratovolcano and it was 2,549 miles in elevation. Its last eruption was in 2008. Mt. St Helens' latitude was 46.2 degrees north and its longitude was 122.2 degrees west. Helens earliest eruption recorded was in 1831 and it has erupted 5 times in the 20th century.
Parts of Mount St. Helens (stratovolcano)
There are 4 main parts of a Stratovolcano. There is the Pluton and the Pipe, which are near the bottom of the volcano. There are alternating levels of lava and pyroclastic material. At the top of the volcano their is the crater.
Small Reasons Mount St. Helens Erupted
One day before the eruption, on the northeast side of the Mount St. Helens, the volcano bulged out almost 450 ft.! Another reason the volcano could have exploded is their were minor earthquakes.
Effects on the Ecosystem
Everything in the path of the ash and rock from the volcano was destroyed. Homes were crushed, roads were destroyed, and the forests around the volcano were stripped. Wildlife was gone and so were every animal that flew in the air.
Instruments used to Predict Eruptions
Seismometers Satellite Imagers
webcams
Seimographs
COSPEC
VIF, EM-31
Interesting Fact
The eruption of Mount St Helens was a VEL=5 event!
Intersesting Fact
Helens eruption was followed by two month series of earthquakes!
Intersesting Fact
Mt St Helens is now a Historical Monument
Resources
ehow.com weebly.com
oregonstate.edu
livescience.com
ngdc.noaa.gov
USATODAY