On this date in 1980…Mount St. Helens erupted in southwest Washington State. Fifty seven people died in the catastrophic explosion and massive landslide, making it the deadliest and most destructive volcanic eruption in the history of the United States. The smoke plume from the volcano rose to an altitude of 80,000 feet. The ash from the volcano reached the East Coast in three days and circled the globe in nineteen days. A total of two thousand people had to be evacuated because of mudslides and flooding from melted snow. The top 1,300 feet of the mountain was blown away.
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Published on: May 18, 2008 at 8:44 AM
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