Ruten vi kørte med pigerne
Ved velkomstcenteret
Udsigt mod Mt.St.Helens
Så er der kun 47 miles til Mt.St.Helens
Panorama ved et udsigtspunkt halvvejs oppe
Nisa
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Magma Moves the Mountainside
On March 20.1980, Mount St. Helens awoke after 123 Years.
Magma (molten rock) was rising to the surface, fracturing rock and producing eathquakes. The volcano's summit diverted rising magma sidewavs, pushing the north face dramatically outward.
The thick, pasty magma contained dissolved water and gases under immense pressure. On May 18th, the unstable north face of the volcano collapsed. With the pressure removed,
groundwater flashed to steam and magma gases expanded almost instantly, triggering an explosive lateral blast.
Lara og Nisa med Mt.St. Helens i baggrunden
Discover the powerful events that transformed this landscape on May 18, 1980.
View the renewal of life around you.
Reflect on the sudden changes of the eruption and gradual changes as nature creates a mosaic of life. Nature's subtle rhythms prevail... until the volcano erupts again.
Pondering the Immensity of Change
A mountain collapses, A super-heated stone wind roars across the land, wave upon wave of pumice and ash erupt.
All this in a few hours time, And on such a scale it challenges our comprehension.
Assist Nature's Recovery
Please stay on the trail. The returning plants and shattered stumps are fragile.
Pets are not allowed on this trail.
Leave pumice and ash where Mount St. Helens placed it.
Take nothing but pictures.
Help plants return. Don't step on or pick them.
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Each Stump Tells the Tale of the Blast
At 8:32 a.m. on May 18. 1980, the north side of the mountain slid away, releasing a tremendous sideways explosion. The searing blast plowed through the landslide, picking till large rocks and other landslide debris.
Within 90 seconds, the debris-filled blast struck this forested hillside, pulverizing ancient trees. The nearly 500-mile-per-hour (804 km/h) blast shattered and toppled trees, sweeping some into the valley in front of you. The blast stripped their bark and branches, carrying them miles away.
The mangled stumps around you are all that remains of 150-foot-tall trees, testimony to the blast's incredible power.
