May 18

Sleeping Volcano Blows Its Top

On this day in 1980, the Washington volcano Mount St. Helens erupted after being dormant for 123 years. The force of the explosion blew 400 meters off volcano's peak. Ash streamed out of the volcano for nine hours, and many people, plants, and animals were destroyed. Ecosystems around the volcano began to return to normal twenty years after the eruption. Mount St. Helens is still an active volcano that may explode again in the future.