On this day 41 years ago, Mount St. Helens erupted in southwestern Washington state. It was the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic event in U.S. history. This visible imagery was captured by the GOES-3 satellite on May 18, 1980. Read more about it: go.usa.gov/xHtzz | NOAA Satellite and Information Service

On March 27, 1980, a series of volcanic explosions and pyroclastic flows began at Mount St. Helens in Skamania County, Washington, United States. A series of phreatic blasts occurred from the summit and escalated until a major explosive eruption took place on May 18, 1980, at 8:32 am. #geology #science #minerals #nature #crystals #geologyrocks #geologist #rocks #mineral #rockhound #crystal #earth #fossil #paleontology #mineralspecimen #mineralsforsale #landscape | Geology Science Official

45 YearsAgo: Mount St. Helens Eruption Caught on Camera – May 18, 1980 At 9:20 AM, USGS scientist Don Swanson captured the unthinkable: a towering, rotating ash column rising from a massive lateral blast—the summit gone, the landscape transformed. ⚠️ A dark, twisting helix of ash, lightning within the plume, mudflows racing down slopes, forests flattened. This wasn't just an eruption—it was a geologic catastrophe in real time. 🎥 Watch the raw power of Earth unfold. Copyright: USGS #MountStHelen

"Forever accompanied by a glass of Coca-Cola and whiskey, Harry says he hates to drink, but people drive him to it." Harry Truman was something of a local celebrity in the time leading up to the Mount St. Helens eruption. He ran the Mount St. Helens Lodge at Spirit Lake, and refused to leave his home on the mountain despite warnings that it would likely erupt. Truman was killed in the blast on this day in 1980. | KATU News

Wonder what's it like to climb Mount St. Helens on a guided adventure with MSHI? Check out the video below! Remember, we're discounting summit climbs 10% right now, but space is limited, so register today! https://www.mshinstitute.org/explore/guided-adventures/summit-climbs.html | Mount St Helens Institute