45th Anniversary: A Look Back at the Eruption of Mount St. Helens

45th anniversary: A look back at the eruption of Mount St. Helens

Forty-five years ago on May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens in the state of Washington violently erupted. Here’s a look at volcanoes, then and now. The 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption began with a steady series of earthquakes in March. By April it began spewing smoke, massive landslides on the north side of the mountain began, as a massive bulge a half-mile wide crept six feet a day up the mountainside. At 8:32 a.m. on May 18, a magnitude 5.1 earthqua…

Mount St. Helens will blow again — but not like 1980

It's been 45 years since Mount St. Helens erupted — and scientists say it will erupt again in our lifetime. Johanna Wagstaffe breaks down what will make it different from the deadly blast in 1980 and how today’s technology is giving us an early warning system.