42 for Loowit’s 42nd vol. 3: Ominous April
For the people who lived and worked on the flanks of Loowit (Mount St. Helens), her awakening was both curse and blessing. Living with a restless stratovolcano isn’t safe nor comfortable. But the tourism it draws is great for the local economy. Locals leaned in, creating funny hats and shirts, renaming menu items, and finding other creative ways to capitalize on her activity.
For the scientists who flocked to her, it was the chance of a lifetime.
Aerial view of Mount St. Helens and drifting plume, from northwest. Photo taken from U.S. Forest Service observer plane at 12:32 p.m. Skamania County, Washington. April 4, 1980. Caption and image credit: USGS
Volcanologists flocked to her slopes, installing equipment, taking measurements and photos, and flying over the summit as steam and ash spurted into the sky. They’d seldom had a chance to study an actively erupting composite cone so conveniently close to highways and large cities. Loowit was wonderfully accessible, and easy to observe, even in the Pacific Northwest’s capricious early spring weather.
Mount St. Helens from Timberline. Skamania County, Washington. April 9, 1980. Caption and image credit: USGS
Volcanologists paid particularly close attention to the growing bulge. The blister caused by rising magma grew at an alarming rate, distorting the volcano’s previous almost-perfect symmetry. Volcanologists were understandably nervous.
But she could still be pretty as a picture, despite that bulging flank. Sometimes, when she was quiet, you could believe she would go peacefully back to sleep.
Scenic view of snow-covered Mount St. Helens. Skamania County, Washington. April 10, 1980. Caption and image credit: USGS
Even with a steam plume trailing from her summit, she could make you believe this was just a bit of youthful high spirits, and she’d soon go dormant again. I mean, does that look like a summit that’s about to go boom? Nah.
Mount St. Helens from south of Chehalis. Lewis and Skamania Counties, Washington. April 12, 1980. Caption and image credit: USGS
But justlikethat, she would turn around and start throwing bombs. And suddenly, she didn’t seem like a tame backyard volcano anymore.
Time lapse series looking southwest at the ash covered bulge of Mt. St. Helens. Photos show development of eruptive cloud. Skamania County, Washington. April 13, 1980. Caption and image credit: USGS (Click to embiggen this one – you can see that the dark dot isn’t a flaw in the photo. It’s a bomb!)
Plus, that bulge was growing at several feet per day. No one was comfortable with that.
By the end of April, it was clear that the risks were growing ever higher. High enough, in fact, for David Johnston and his colleagues to decide that a perilous descent to the crater lake for gas and water samples was absolutely justified.
Dave Johnston collecting sample from Mount St. Helens crater lake. 200 mm telephoto from west rim. Photo by R.P. Hoblitt. Skamania County, Washington. April 30, 1980. Caption and image credit: USGS
Loowit was definitely alive, but well? Not as much.
Featured image: Peter W. Lipman standing beside billboard, proclaiming “Mount St. Helens is alive and well.” Cougar. Cowlitz County, Washington. April 6, 1980. Caption and image credit: USGS
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