Volcano Type: Stratovolcano
Volcano Status: Historical
Last Known Eruption: 2008
Summit Elevation: 2549 m 8,363 feet
Latitude: 46.20°N 46°12’0″N
Longitude: 122.18°W 122°11’0″W
Some Indians of the Pacific Northwest variously 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 a fellow countryman, Alleyne Fitzherbert, who held the title Baron St. Helens and who was at the time the British Ambassador to Spain.
Mount St. Helens a day before the devastating eruption in 1980
Plumes of steam, gas, and ash often occurred at Mount St. Helens in the early 1980s' by Lyn Topinka
Prior to 1980, Mount St. Helens formed a conical, youthful volcano sometimes known as the Fuji-san of America. During the 1980 eruption the upper 400 m of the summit was removed by slope failure, leaving a 2 x 3.5 km horseshoe-shaped crater now partially filled by a lava dome. Mount St. Helens was formed during nine eruptive periods beginning about 40-50,000 years ago and has been the most active volcano in the Cascade Range during the Holocene. Prior to 2200 years ago, tephra, lava domes, and pyroclastic flows were erupted, forming the older St. Helens edifice, but few lava flows extended beyond the base of the volcano. The modern edifice was constructed during the last 2200 years, when the volcano produced basaltic as well as andesitic and dacitic products from summit and flank vents. Historical eruptions in the 19th century originated from the Goat Rocks area on the north flank, and were witnessed by early settlers.
Mount St. Helens Eruption
Originally posted 2010-08-17 05:24:52.
