The long dormant Mount St. Helens volcano of the Cascade Mountain Range in Washington State erupted on May 18, 1980.

Everyone evacuated Mount St. Helens, which had been signalling a coming volcanic eruption, except an elderly man who considered the mountain home.

Where were you on May 18, 1980, when Mount St. Helens erupted? Author Rob Carson's essays, accompanied by incredible photos, outline the events leading up to and following the eruption, with a special look at the 20-year process of the mountain's rebirth. As plants, insects, animals, and people have reclaimed Mount St. Helens, the mountain remains a looming reminder of an event that changed the face of the Northwest.

The mountain exploded with the power of ten million tons of dynamite... Eleven-year-old Jessie Marlowe has grown up with the beautiful Mount St. Helens always in the background. She's hiked its winding trails, dived into its cold lakes, and fished for trout in its streams. Just looking at Mount St. Helens out her window made Jess feel calm, like it was watching over her somehow. Of course, she knew the mountain was a volcano...but not the active kind, not a volcano that could destroy and kill!Then Mount St. Helens explodes with unimaginable fury. Jess suddenly finds herself in the middle of the deadliest and most destructive volcanic event in U.S. history. Ash and rock are spewing everywhere. Can Jess escape in time?The newest book in the I Survived series will take readers into one of the most environmentally devastating events in recent U.S. history.

"An account of how and why Mount St. Helens erupted in May 1980 and the destruction it caused, and a discussion of the return of life to that area."--Title page verso.

This sourcebook addresses the breadth of the effects of the volcanic eruptions of Mount St. Helens in 1980 on lakes, rivers, streams, the Columbia River Estuary, ground water, and precipitation in the Western U.S. Data and conclusions from scores of reports and scientific papers are reviewed, covering the myriad of subjects involved in characterizing the Geological Survey, other Federal and State agencies, and individual researchers are summarized. Extensive references are cited. Tables and map in pocket.