Mount Saint Helens
Brief History Of The Volcano
Mount Saint Helens is a volcanic peak located in south west Washington. It was
named after Alleyne Fitzherbert, Baron St. Helens in 1792 by a royal navy
commander. There were several known eruptions of Mount St. Helens throughout
history but the first truely valid account was the eruption in 1835 (told by Dr.
Meredith Gairdner). It remained a sleeping giant for a 
number of years until it erupted on May 18,
1980 (the eruption for which it is most known for). 
It was a normal day, people went
on with their routine lives and then, in a matter of moments, their life was
flipped upside down. The eruption in 1980 killed 65 people and a large number of
bear, coyote and other wildlife. Jimmy Carter summed up the devistation the best by
comparing the volcano and the land around it to the landscape of the moon. Even
though the volcano erupted in Washington, people all around the world felt its
power in some shape or form. This single, large eruption carried a large cloud
60,000 feet in the air, covering the north west united states with ash.
Advantages And Disadvantages Of Living Next To A Volcano such as Mount Saint
Helens
The average person would think living next to a volcano is crazy. But, there are
advantages to living next to a a volcano. The land surrounding the volcano is very
rich and fertile. A person could profit greatly by using samples of the land to
create stronger medicines and building materials. On the other hand, there is
obviously many disadvantages. If an eruption were to occur there could be a loss of
life or property. The large amounts of ash could greatly effect people with asthma
and other lung diseases. Even people without lung disease will also have a hard
time breathing if the sky is gray with ash.
Currect Information
Mount Saint Helens has shown activity recently. There were small earthquakes
reported on september 26, 2004 and there continues to be small earthquakes within
the volcano. There have been several small steam eruptions in the past 2 months.
The people that surround this volcano can't really live their normal lives without
looking over their shoulder waiting for an eruption. No one knows when exactly
another large eruption could occur. They have raised and lowered the threat level
back and forth for the last 2 months because it shows signs of new dome formation
and magma build-up. It could erupt any time (days, weeks,months). Could there be
another 1980's-like eruption?
Other Misc. Information
Mount Saint Helens is not the largest volcano in the world. Mauna Loa is the
largest volcano in the world and is located in Hawaii. Just like Mount Saint
Helens, it has shown recent activity. There has been magma replenishing evident as
soon as May 20, 2003. Also, there are several well known mountains in the United States (Mount
Hood, Mount Rainier, Mount Baker and Mount Adams just to name a few) but none have more
influence on society than Mount Saint Helens. People have used it to describe a
spicy tabasco sauce or young kids have used it to describe someones attitude.