Mount St Helens is an active stratovolcano that sits on the Cascadia subduction zone in Washington State. The mountain was nicknamed Mount Fuji of America because of the resemblance to its Japanese counterpart.

 

That all changed on May 18 1982 when a

huge eruption blew 400 meters of the top, ejecting 3 km3 of material.

 

The resulting pyroclastic flow leveled 600 km2, killing everything in its way.

Hot mudflows thundered down the rivers destroying many bridges, houses, railways and highways.

The shockwave alone knocked down trees many kms away, the trunks pointing nicely away from the blastzone.

 

The eruption killed 57 people and caused huge economic damages.

 

After the blow Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument was created for recreation and to study how  nature copes with the situation.

 

We visited here in July 2001 and saw that Mother Nature is doing her best but the damage is still very visible.