SATURDAY, MAY 7, 2011
"Mount Saint Helens" from VOA.
This VOA article was broadcast in 2004.
On May 18, 1980, residents of the Toutle River Valley in Washington State
heard a volcano explosion from over two hundred miles away.
This was
the famous Mount Saint Helens volcano eruption. It killed 57 people and
destroyed huge areas of forest. Mudslides formed that flowed down the
mountain at more than sixty miles an hour destroying 123 houses.
The Native American Indians in the state of Washington still call Mount
Saint Helens by its Indian name – Loo-wit. It means "Lady of Fire." In the
past two weeks, this famous "Lady of Fire" has been waking up after 24
years of sleep.
The last major explosion of Mount Saint Helens took place in 1980. The
volcano expelled fire, rock and volcanic gas with a force of 480 kilometers
an hour. That explosion was 350 times more powerful than the explosions
of the first nuclear bombs. A column of gas and ash rose over sixty
thousand feet into the air.
Recent earthquakes near Mount Saint Helens were a sure sign that
something was happening deep under the ground. Scientists also knew
there is a huge area of melted rock deep underneath the mountain. This
liquid rock creates pressure. The pressure can cause more earthquakes.
May 18, 1980 Explosion
Experts began to closely observe
the huge volcano. They placed
scientific instruments in many
areas on the mountain. These
observations are still taking place
24 hours a day.
The Mount Saint Helens area is a huge National Park. Thousands of people
visit each year to look at the large volcano and to learn about the violent
explosion in 1980. When there is no danger, visitors can even ask for a
permit to climb Mount Saint Helens. They can walk near the top and see
down into the area called the crater.
The volcano expelled large amounts of steam for about thirty minutes on
Monday, October fourth (2004). Scientists said it was mostly water that had
been super-heated by the liquid rock far below.
The land mass deep under the Pacific Ocean and the land mass of the Pacific
coasts are moving toward each other. These land masses float on liquid
rock deep within the Earth. This movement is called plate tectonics. It
causes earthquakes. It also builds mountains and causes liquid rock deep in
the earth to flow near the surface and form volcanoes.
Tom Pierson is a scientist with the
United States Geological Survey. Mr. Pierson said most evidence showed
the possibility of more activity. Other experts said all volcanoes go through
periods of activity and rest. Experts say Mount Saint Helens could still
explode if there were an increase in the amount of underground activity.
There are more than fifty active volcanoes in the United States. The most
active ones are in the states of Alaska, Hawaii, California, Oregon, and
Washington. As long as these huge land masses continue to move, people
will continue to observe and study earthquakes. And they will study
volcanoes like Loowit -- the Lady of Fire -- Mount Saint Helens.