This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
It's the thirty-sixth anniversary of the eruption of Mount St. Helens. Please take a moment to remember those who died that beautiful May morning, and to appreciate the power of a volcano to change our lives forever:
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REID TURNER BLACKBURN
WALLACE NORWOOD BOWERS
JOEL K. COLTEN
RONALD LEE CONNER
TERRY A. CRALL
CLYDE ANDREW CROFT
JOSE A. DIAS
ELLEN DILL
WILLIAM (BILL) DILL
ARLENE H. EDWARDS
JOLENE H. EDWARDS
BRUCE EDWARD FADDIS
JAMES F. FITZGERALD JR.
THOMAS G. GADWA
ALLEN R. HANDY
PAUL HIATT
DAVID A. JOHNSTON
DAY ANDREW KARR
DAY BRADLEY KARR
MICHAEL MURRAY KARR
BOB M. KASEWETER
CHRISTY LIANN KILLIAN
JOHN G. KILLIAN
HAROLD (BUTCH) KIRKPATRICK
ROBERT E. LANDSBURG
ROBERT LYNDS
GERALD O. MARTIN
GERALD LLOYD MOORE
KEITH A. MOORE
SHIRLEY (SAM) MOORE
KEVIN CHRISTOPHER MORRIS
MICHELLE LEA MORRIS
EDWARD JOSEPH MURPHY
ELEANOR JEANNE MURPHY
DONALD R. PARKER
JEAN ISABELL PARKER
NATALIE ALI PARKER
RICHARD A. PARKER
WILLIAM PAUL PARKER
MERLIN JAMES PLUARD
RUTH KATHLEEN PLUARD
FRED D. ROLLINS
MARGERY ELLEN ROLLINS
PAUL F. SCHMIDT
BARBARA LEA SEIBOLD
RONALD DALE SEIBOLD
DONALD JAMES SELBY
EVLANTY V. SHARIPOFF
LEONTY V. SKOROHODOFF
DOUG THAYER
HARRY R. TRUMAN
JAMES S. TUTE
VELVETIA (VELVET) TUTE
KAREN MARIE VARNER
BEVERLY C. WETHERALD
KLAUS ZIMMERMAN
This was an event that changed the way we view the volcanoes in our back yard. You can read about the catastrophic eruption here. Can you believe there were survivors who were directly above the summit when it blew?
Monitoring active volcanoes is a terribly dangerous profession. Learn about the geologists who sacrificed their lives to keep us informed and safe here.
Volcanoes generally don't erupt without warning. A fascinating sequence of events lead up to the May 18th cataclysm. You can follow them starting here.
