Mount St. Helens: The eruption and recovery of a volcano

by Rob Carson

At 8:27 a.m. on May 18, 1980, Washington State's Mount St. Helens stood at 9,677 feet; in the next five minutes the mountain lost 1,300 feet, blowing its top in a blast so powerful that trees toppled 17 miles away. Hurricane-force winds stripped the soil from nearby ridges and hillsides, leaving bare rock. All plant life for miles around either vaporized or tore away from the surface of the earth. Once-pristine alpine lakes were transformed into "tea-colored swamps." Volcanic ash shrouded four states like snow while an ash plume high in the atmosphere circled the globe. All told, "57 people were dead, along with millions of birds, deer, elk, and fish." No longer would Northwesterners regard the chain of glacier-clad peaks extending from British Columbia's Mt. Garibaldi to Northern California's Mt. Lassen as benevolent dollops of recreational fun. For the first time they would see these peaks for what they are: volcanoes that could actually erupt. For scientists, Mount St. Helens would provide an ever-changing laboratory for study; indeed, important advances have been made in any number disciplines, from seismology to ecology.

Along with remarkable before-and-after images (including the famous Rosenquist photos of the initial blast), Rob Carson's 20th-anniversary retrospective captures the human drama leading up to the eruption and two decades of subsequent scientific discovery in its aftermath. The idea of a volcano erupting in the continental U.S. was certainly novel at the end of the age of disco. Washington governor Dixy Lee Ray hoped "to live long enough to see one of our volcanoes erupt." Sightseers rushed to the mountain, buying T-shirts with premature slogans like "I Survived Mount St. Helens." Harry Truman, "crotchety octogenarian" and whisky-packing owner and operator of the Mount St. Helens Lodge, made headlines by refusing to leave his home, claiming "that mountain will never hurt me." Truman perished under several hundred feet of ash. A geologist named David Johnston wasn't supposed to be near the mountain that day, but as fate would have it, he traded shifts; his last words shouted into his radio were "Vancouver, Vancouver, this is it!"

While the human element figures prominently in Carson's book, the truly amazing story is the one of postblast ecological recovery. Take the humble pocket gopher: those that survived began mixing ash with underlying soil, playing a critical role in making the land suitable once more for plant and animal life. Unbelievably, just three years after the eruption, 90 percent of plant species and nearly all mammals had returned to the most devastated areas. Scientists quickly learned that recovery, rather than depending on colonizing species from outside the blast zone, relied largely on species that never left--like hibernating frogs and toads, lucky pocket gophers, and countless subterranean insects. Of course, life outside the blast helped, too; the woolly bear caterpillar parachuted in to reclaim territory and windblown fireweed seeds soon blossomed in the pumice. And meanwhile, the mountain itself (called "Fire Mountain" by the Native American Klickitats) is rapidly growing once again. --Martha Silano

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, History, Nature, Americana

160 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1990

Reviews

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love anything to do with Volcanoes. The pictures and articles were so interesting!

[Jenny Fossan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly enjoyed how it didn’t focus too much on the human aspects of the eruption.
This was my project for one of my university courses and I truly enjoyed this book.

Highly recommended for other geology students and other people interested in geology and volcanoes!

[Violet]

There is no way that I could imagine the scope of damage that took place when the volcano erupted. I can not picture in my mind the massive amounts of mud, water, and ash that covered the area,let alone the depths. This book came out in 1990. I wonder how the region is doing now that it is 2019.

[John Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not very substantive, but this book does have some good information and a few good photographs.

[Joel Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book that tells the complete story of Mt. St. Helens. It has great color photos, gives you history and insight and does a great job at telling the entire story. 9.9/10

[Jerry Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A slightly different take on the famous disaster. A description of the eruption but this is a book that only dwells briefly on the human aspects of the disaster - it basically takes a scientific look at what caused the volcano to explode and how the landscape recovered after the event.

Lots of plates and an interesting, straightforward narrative. A little superficial maybe but it is a different take and that is always good.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful book, awesome pictures and diagrams on every page! My family having lived in SE Washington since the late 70's, Mt. St. Helens is a subject of high interest in my family. Parents and grandparents experienced effects of the eruption. My kids are fascinated and I regularly get questions on the topic, especially every year around the anniversary of the explosion which we just passed. This is a fantastic resource! So lucky to have won this in a first-reads goodreads giveaway.

[Tracy Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this through a Goodreads giveaway and I quite enjoyed it. If you're looking for a book to give you an idea what it's like when a devastating volcano erupts, then this is a great reference. Packed full of information about the volcano itself, the recovery,and some amazing photographs, this book brings you up close and personal to the May 18th, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. I highly recommend it.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway. Excellent book on the 35th Anniversary of the May 18th, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. Packed full of information on the devastation to the area as well as the recovery. Fantastic photos.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads . It was very informative , I enjoyed reading this book .I will be looking for more books from the author in the future , Great book with beautiful pictures!!

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

5 stars for the photos
2 stars for the layout
4 stars for the content
3 stars for being 15 years out of date, which is a long time in the world of this particular subject.

[Sandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very beautiful pictures and story to tell the story