Mount St. Helens

Abstract

Mount St Helens was the first big volcanic disaster of modern times – it was filmed and photographed with modern cameras. Scientists were able to see the eruption as it happened, and it changed the way we study volcanoes. Today, there is a permanent volcano observatory at Mount St Helens, equipped with many new instruments to help monitor volcanic activity. This sideways explosion is a lateral blast . The explosion cloud raced over the ground at over 300 mph, travelling over hills and valleys, destroying an area twice the size of Birmingham in just 3 minutes.