#MSH45 | March 16, 1980
A chapter closes, and another opens.
#PNW #PacificNorthwest #Volcano #Washington #WashingtonState
A chapter closes, and another opens.
#PNW #PacificNorthwest #Volcano #Washington #WashingtonState
March 16, 2025 at 2:00 PM
#MSH45 | March 16, 1980
A chapter closes, and another opens.
#PNW #PacificNorthwest #Volcano #Washington #WashingtonState
A chapter closes, and another opens.
#PNW #PacificNorthwest #Volcano #Washington #WashingtonState
May 15, 2025 at 4:01 PM
#MSH45 | 8:32 a.m.
The ground shudders. A M5.1 quake hits beneath Mount St. Helens.
The bulge collapses outward.
Within seconds, a lateral blast surges through the disintegrating slope.
7 miles north, Gerry Martin describes what he sees—until the radio goes silent.
The ground shudders. A M5.1 quake hits beneath Mount St. Helens.
The bulge collapses outward.
Within seconds, a lateral blast surges through the disintegrating slope.
7 miles north, Gerry Martin describes what he sees—until the radio goes silent.
May 18, 2025 at 3:32 PM
#MSH45 | 8:32 a.m.
The ground shudders. A M5.1 quake hits beneath Mount St. Helens.
The bulge collapses outward.
Within seconds, a lateral blast surges through the disintegrating slope.
7 miles north, Gerry Martin describes what he sees—until the radio goes silent.
The ground shudders. A M5.1 quake hits beneath Mount St. Helens.
The bulge collapses outward.
Within seconds, a lateral blast surges through the disintegrating slope.
7 miles north, Gerry Martin describes what he sees—until the radio goes silent.
February 9, 2025 at 9:55 PM
#MSH45 | April 3, 1980
On camera with KGW, USGS volcanologist David Johnston warns: Mount St. Helens may unleash a major eruption — and it might not give much notice.
On camera with KGW, USGS volcanologist David Johnston warns: Mount St. Helens may unleash a major eruption — and it might not give much notice.
April 4, 2025 at 1:21 AM
#MSH45 | April 3, 1980
On camera with KGW, USGS volcanologist David Johnston warns: Mount St. Helens may unleash a major eruption — and it might not give much notice.
On camera with KGW, USGS volcanologist David Johnston warns: Mount St. Helens may unleash a major eruption — and it might not give much notice.
#MSH45 | May 18, 1980 — 8:32 a.m.
Geologists Dorothy and Keith Stoffel, with pilot Bruce Judson, make a final pass over Mount St. Helens. A M5.1 quake strikes. Ice and rock collapse into the crater.
Below them, the north face heaves—then gives way. The largest landslide in recorded history begins.
Geologists Dorothy and Keith Stoffel, with pilot Bruce Judson, make a final pass over Mount St. Helens. A M5.1 quake strikes. Ice and rock collapse into the crater.
Below them, the north face heaves—then gives way. The largest landslide in recorded history begins.
September 19, 2025 at 5:13 PM
#MSH45 | May 18, 1980 — 8:32 a.m.
Geologists Dorothy and Keith Stoffel, with pilot Bruce Judson, make a final pass over Mount St. Helens. A M5.1 quake strikes. Ice and rock collapse into the crater.
Below them, the north face heaves—then gives way. The largest landslide in recorded history begins.
Geologists Dorothy and Keith Stoffel, with pilot Bruce Judson, make a final pass over Mount St. Helens. A M5.1 quake strikes. Ice and rock collapse into the crater.
Below them, the north face heaves—then gives way. The largest landslide in recorded history begins.
#MSH45 | Search and Rescue
Hueys from the Air Force Reserve & National Guard flew blind into ash and ruin.
They found flattened forests, dead silence, and—miraculously—survivors.
By nightfall, they’d rescued 137 people, 8 dogs, and a boa constrictor.
Hueys from the Air Force Reserve & National Guard flew blind into ash and ruin.
They found flattened forests, dead silence, and—miraculously—survivors.
By nightfall, they’d rescued 137 people, 8 dogs, and a boa constrictor.
May 18, 2025 at 11:31 PM
#MSH45 | Search and Rescue
Hueys from the Air Force Reserve & National Guard flew blind into ash and ruin.
They found flattened forests, dead silence, and—miraculously—survivors.
By nightfall, they’d rescued 137 people, 8 dogs, and a boa constrictor.
Hueys from the Air Force Reserve & National Guard flew blind into ash and ruin.
They found flattened forests, dead silence, and—miraculously—survivors.
By nightfall, they’d rescued 137 people, 8 dogs, and a boa constrictor.
#MSH45 | May 18, 1980
KATU Portland films a cabin drifting down the Toutle River from Hollywood Gorge—floating, spinning in a brown slurry.
Downstream, it hits Tower Road Bridge—30 miles from Mount St. Helens.
By morning, the bridge itself was gone.
KATU Portland films a cabin drifting down the Toutle River from Hollywood Gorge—floating, spinning in a brown slurry.
Downstream, it hits Tower Road Bridge—30 miles from Mount St. Helens.
By morning, the bridge itself was gone.
October 12, 2025 at 4:43 PM
#MSH45 | May 18, 1980
KATU Portland films a cabin drifting down the Toutle River from Hollywood Gorge—floating, spinning in a brown slurry.
Downstream, it hits Tower Road Bridge—30 miles from Mount St. Helens.
By morning, the bridge itself was gone.
KATU Portland films a cabin drifting down the Toutle River from Hollywood Gorge—floating, spinning in a brown slurry.
Downstream, it hits Tower Road Bridge—30 miles from Mount St. Helens.
By morning, the bridge itself was gone.
#MSH45 | Charlie’s Story
Those who can escape have seconds. No time to wait.
Just 8 miles west of the summit, Charlie McNerney and John Smart race from their campsite on the North Fork Toutle.
They barrel down logging roads and Spirit Lake Highway—
the closest known survivors on the north side.
Those who can escape have seconds. No time to wait.
Just 8 miles west of the summit, Charlie McNerney and John Smart race from their campsite on the North Fork Toutle.
They barrel down logging roads and Spirit Lake Highway—
the closest known survivors on the north side.
May 18, 2025 at 4:25 PM
#MSH45 | Charlie’s Story
Those who can escape have seconds. No time to wait.
Just 8 miles west of the summit, Charlie McNerney and John Smart race from their campsite on the North Fork Toutle.
They barrel down logging roads and Spirit Lake Highway—
the closest known survivors on the north side.
Those who can escape have seconds. No time to wait.
Just 8 miles west of the summit, Charlie McNerney and John Smart race from their campsite on the North Fork Toutle.
They barrel down logging roads and Spirit Lake Highway—
the closest known survivors on the north side.
#MSH45 | “A Big Black Cloud”
Unless you were near the mountain, the first sign was the sky.
A towering black mushroom cloud rising fast.
In Cowlitz County, emergency dispatchers begin fielding calls.
No alerts. No answers. They’re piecing it together in real time.
Unless you were near the mountain, the first sign was the sky.
A towering black mushroom cloud rising fast.
In Cowlitz County, emergency dispatchers begin fielding calls.
No alerts. No answers. They’re piecing it together in real time.
May 18, 2025 at 5:12 PM
#MSH45 | “A Big Black Cloud”
Unless you were near the mountain, the first sign was the sky.
A towering black mushroom cloud rising fast.
In Cowlitz County, emergency dispatchers begin fielding calls.
No alerts. No answers. They’re piecing it together in real time.
Unless you were near the mountain, the first sign was the sky.
A towering black mushroom cloud rising fast.
In Cowlitz County, emergency dispatchers begin fielding calls.
No alerts. No answers. They’re piecing it together in real time.
Hiya.
Fair warning: if you followed #MSH45 last year, you'll see much of that content again over the next two months, with some new material mixed in (stories, clips, yadda).
One thing that'll be different this year: Post-May 18, I'm pivoting back to a more general focus.
Sound good? Alrighty.
Fair warning: if you followed #MSH45 last year, you'll see much of that content again over the next two months, with some new material mixed in (stories, clips, yadda).
One thing that'll be different this year: Post-May 18, I'm pivoting back to a more general focus.
Sound good? Alrighty.
March 19, 2026 at 9:08 PM
Hiya.
Fair warning: if you followed #MSH45 last year, you'll see much of that content again over the next two months, with some new material mixed in (stories, clips, yadda).
One thing that'll be different this year: Post-May 18, I'm pivoting back to a more general focus.
Sound good? Alrighty.
Fair warning: if you followed #MSH45 last year, you'll see much of that content again over the next two months, with some new material mixed in (stories, clips, yadda).
One thing that'll be different this year: Post-May 18, I'm pivoting back to a more general focus.
Sound good? Alrighty.
#MSH45 | Aug. 1980
On a mid-August afternoon, a helicopter settles onto the Pumice Plain—the dead north slope of Mount St. Helens, buried by avalanche, seared by pyroclastic flows.
Out steps USGS volcanologist Dan Miller, 37. His goal? Cook a 50-lb pig in the ash.
On a mid-August afternoon, a helicopter settles onto the Pumice Plain—the dead north slope of Mount St. Helens, buried by avalanche, seared by pyroclastic flows.
Out steps USGS volcanologist Dan Miller, 37. His goal? Cook a 50-lb pig in the ash.
September 1, 2025 at 2:27 AM
#MSH45 | Aug. 1980
On a mid-August afternoon, a helicopter settles onto the Pumice Plain—the dead north slope of Mount St. Helens, buried by avalanche, seared by pyroclastic flows.
Out steps USGS volcanologist Dan Miller, 37. His goal? Cook a 50-lb pig in the ash.
On a mid-August afternoon, a helicopter settles onto the Pumice Plain—the dead north slope of Mount St. Helens, buried by avalanche, seared by pyroclastic flows.
Out steps USGS volcanologist Dan Miller, 37. His goal? Cook a 50-lb pig in the ash.
#MSH45 | April/May 1980
Overcast? No problem.
The mountain’s still a 10/10 on the Pacific Northwest tourism circuit.
(It’s a cloudy April 20—no great visuals today.)
Overcast? No problem.
The mountain’s still a 10/10 on the Pacific Northwest tourism circuit.
(It’s a cloudy April 20—no great visuals today.)
April 20, 2025 at 1:37 PM
#MSH45 | April/May 1980
Overcast? No problem.
The mountain’s still a 10/10 on the Pacific Northwest tourism circuit.
(It’s a cloudy April 20—no great visuals today.)
Overcast? No problem.
The mountain’s still a 10/10 on the Pacific Northwest tourism circuit.
(It’s a cloudy April 20—no great visuals today.)
#MSH45 | June 4, 1980
Seventeen days after the eruption, the 304th Air Force Reserve found Robert Landsburg three miles west of Mount St. Helens. In his ash-covered bag: camera, film, and ID—all shielded.
Published in National Geographic in 1981, his photos became iconic records of the eruption.
Seventeen days after the eruption, the 304th Air Force Reserve found Robert Landsburg three miles west of Mount St. Helens. In his ash-covered bag: camera, film, and ID—all shielded.
Published in National Geographic in 1981, his photos became iconic records of the eruption.
June 5, 2025 at 4:42 AM
#MSH45 | June 4, 1980
Seventeen days after the eruption, the 304th Air Force Reserve found Robert Landsburg three miles west of Mount St. Helens. In his ash-covered bag: camera, film, and ID—all shielded.
Published in National Geographic in 1981, his photos became iconic records of the eruption.
Seventeen days after the eruption, the 304th Air Force Reserve found Robert Landsburg three miles west of Mount St. Helens. In his ash-covered bag: camera, film, and ID—all shielded.
Published in National Geographic in 1981, his photos became iconic records of the eruption.
#MSH45 | Mar. 30, 1980
A golden sunrise lights Mount St. Helens just three days after its first steam-driven eruption.
From the crater, a mushroom-shaped cloud of steam and ash rises above the peak as a plane circles the mountain.
A golden sunrise lights Mount St. Helens just three days after its first steam-driven eruption.
From the crater, a mushroom-shaped cloud of steam and ash rises above the peak as a plane circles the mountain.
August 18, 2025 at 1:47 AM
#MSH45 | Mar. 30, 1980
A golden sunrise lights Mount St. Helens just three days after its first steam-driven eruption.
From the crater, a mushroom-shaped cloud of steam and ash rises above the peak as a plane circles the mountain.
A golden sunrise lights Mount St. Helens just three days after its first steam-driven eruption.
From the crater, a mushroom-shaped cloud of steam and ash rises above the peak as a plane circles the mountain.
#MSH45 | March 29, 1980
The weather clears, revealing something startling—A second, larger crater has blown open on Mount St. Helens, venting steam and ash.
At night, a blue flame floods both craters. Was it hydrogen sulfide igniting? Or just the mountain showing off?
(added captions)
The weather clears, revealing something startling—A second, larger crater has blown open on Mount St. Helens, venting steam and ash.
At night, a blue flame floods both craters. Was it hydrogen sulfide igniting? Or just the mountain showing off?
(added captions)
March 29, 2025 at 4:55 PM
#MSH45 | March 29, 1980
The weather clears, revealing something startling—A second, larger crater has blown open on Mount St. Helens, venting steam and ash.
At night, a blue flame floods both craters. Was it hydrogen sulfide igniting? Or just the mountain showing off?
(added captions)
The weather clears, revealing something startling—A second, larger crater has blown open on Mount St. Helens, venting steam and ash.
At night, a blue flame floods both craters. Was it hydrogen sulfide igniting? Or just the mountain showing off?
(added captions)
#MSH45 | News
By midday on the West Coast, the world knows: Mount St. Helens has erupted.
Local news crews scramble into helicopters and small planes, staking out ridges and overlooks to film what comes next.
The mountain is still erupting. And they're rolling.
By midday on the West Coast, the world knows: Mount St. Helens has erupted.
Local news crews scramble into helicopters and small planes, staking out ridges and overlooks to film what comes next.
The mountain is still erupting. And they're rolling.
May 18, 2025 at 7:33 PM
#MSH45 | News
By midday on the West Coast, the world knows: Mount St. Helens has erupted.
Local news crews scramble into helicopters and small planes, staking out ridges and overlooks to film what comes next.
The mountain is still erupting. And they're rolling.
By midday on the West Coast, the world knows: Mount St. Helens has erupted.
Local news crews scramble into helicopters and small planes, staking out ridges and overlooks to film what comes next.
The mountain is still erupting. And they're rolling.
#MSH45 | "Hell on Earth"
KOMO cameraman Dave Crockett arrives at Mount St. Helens just as the eruption begins.
He races down the South Fork Toutle but is quickly trapped by a mudflow.
Ash blots out the sky. He leaves his car, turns on his camera, and walks—convinced he won’t survive. He will.
KOMO cameraman Dave Crockett arrives at Mount St. Helens just as the eruption begins.
He races down the South Fork Toutle but is quickly trapped by a mudflow.
Ash blots out the sky. He leaves his car, turns on his camera, and walks—convinced he won’t survive. He will.
May 18, 2025 at 6:38 PM
#MSH45 | "Hell on Earth"
KOMO cameraman Dave Crockett arrives at Mount St. Helens just as the eruption begins.
He races down the South Fork Toutle but is quickly trapped by a mudflow.
Ash blots out the sky. He leaves his car, turns on his camera, and walks—convinced he won’t survive. He will.
KOMO cameraman Dave Crockett arrives at Mount St. Helens just as the eruption begins.
He races down the South Fork Toutle but is quickly trapped by a mudflow.
Ash blots out the sky. He leaves his car, turns on his camera, and walks—convinced he won’t survive. He will.
#MSH45 | Nov. 14, 1980
Spokane's KREM airs a segment from Portland's KGW, its chopper's camera lingers on a wintry St. Helens—snow piled deep across the shattered rim, steam drifting lazily from fumaroles.
Then they play back October’s eruption tape, stripping away all but the volcano’s own voice.
Spokane's KREM airs a segment from Portland's KGW, its chopper's camera lingers on a wintry St. Helens—snow piled deep across the shattered rim, steam drifting lazily from fumaroles.
Then they play back October’s eruption tape, stripping away all but the volcano’s own voice.
November 16, 2025 at 6:00 PM
#MSH45 | Nov. 14, 1980
Spokane's KREM airs a segment from Portland's KGW, its chopper's camera lingers on a wintry St. Helens—snow piled deep across the shattered rim, steam drifting lazily from fumaroles.
Then they play back October’s eruption tape, stripping away all but the volcano’s own voice.
Spokane's KREM airs a segment from Portland's KGW, its chopper's camera lingers on a wintry St. Helens—snow piled deep across the shattered rim, steam drifting lazily from fumaroles.
Then they play back October’s eruption tape, stripping away all but the volcano’s own voice.
#MSH45 | Oct. 19, 1980
The explosions are over at Mount St. Helens. Now, the rebuilding has begun.
ABC News's Tom Schell talks with Portland State University experts on the eruptive events of the last few days and the growth of the new lava dome in the crater.
The explosions are over at Mount St. Helens. Now, the rebuilding has begun.
ABC News's Tom Schell talks with Portland State University experts on the eruptive events of the last few days and the growth of the new lava dome in the crater.
October 19, 2025 at 10:42 PM
#MSH45 | Oct. 19, 1980
The explosions are over at Mount St. Helens. Now, the rebuilding has begun.
ABC News's Tom Schell talks with Portland State University experts on the eruptive events of the last few days and the growth of the new lava dome in the crater.
The explosions are over at Mount St. Helens. Now, the rebuilding has begun.
ABC News's Tom Schell talks with Portland State University experts on the eruptive events of the last few days and the growth of the new lava dome in the crater.
Before 1980 | Ancestors 🧵
Known as Lawalaclough, Lawetlat'la, Loowit, Si Yett, and Tahonelatclah—the Yakima, Cowlitz, Puyallup, and Klickitat shared stories of "fire mountain."
One spoke of an old woman made beautiful by the Great Spirit, fought over by two warriors. #MSH45
Known as Lawalaclough, Lawetlat'la, Loowit, Si Yett, and Tahonelatclah—the Yakima, Cowlitz, Puyallup, and Klickitat shared stories of "fire mountain."
One spoke of an old woman made beautiful by the Great Spirit, fought over by two warriors. #MSH45
January 12, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Before 1980 | Ancestors 🧵
Known as Lawalaclough, Lawetlat'la, Loowit, Si Yett, and Tahonelatclah—the Yakima, Cowlitz, Puyallup, and Klickitat shared stories of "fire mountain."
One spoke of an old woman made beautiful by the Great Spirit, fought over by two warriors. #MSH45
Known as Lawalaclough, Lawetlat'la, Loowit, Si Yett, and Tahonelatclah—the Yakima, Cowlitz, Puyallup, and Klickitat shared stories of "fire mountain."
One spoke of an old woman made beautiful by the Great Spirit, fought over by two warriors. #MSH45
#MSH45 | July 18, 1980
KIRO joins UW’s Dr. Tony Irving inside the Mount St. Helens crater.
“It was a tough, tough climb... lots of sulfur.”
He chips samples from the lava dome—gone just five days later.
KIRO joins UW’s Dr. Tony Irving inside the Mount St. Helens crater.
“It was a tough, tough climb... lots of sulfur.”
He chips samples from the lava dome—gone just five days later.
July 24, 2025 at 12:42 AM
#MSH45 | July 18, 1980
KIRO joins UW’s Dr. Tony Irving inside the Mount St. Helens crater.
“It was a tough, tough climb... lots of sulfur.”
He chips samples from the lava dome—gone just five days later.
KIRO joins UW’s Dr. Tony Irving inside the Mount St. Helens crater.
“It was a tough, tough climb... lots of sulfur.”
He chips samples from the lava dome—gone just five days later.