Mount Saint Helena

Volcanologists who studied Mount St. Helena have established the approximate age of the volcano - 300 thousand years. And for all the time of observation and study of geological layers, it was considered to be very quiet and peaceful. St. Helens has always attracted with its picturesque slopes tourists and climbers who tried their hand in climbing to the crater of the volcano. The stories about Luvala Klu "Fiery Mountain" preserved in the Klikitat Indian tribe, who have lived here for several hundred years, no one paid attention.

Until the morning of May 1980. Then under the area of Mount St. Helens in Washington there was a strong earthquake that caused a severe landslide. Almost the entire northern part of the volcano descended and the alarmed peak began to wake up. The explosion was heard for dozens of kilometers around. The blast wave destroyed entire forests, a heat wave melted the nearest glacier and began flooding. A column of ash rose into the sky to a height of 24,000 meters, covering Washington and partially ten more states.

The volcano has not fallen asleep since then. The eruption took a calmer character, but still disturbed peak throws ash into the air. Volcanologists are confident that such an eruption may happen again, but due to the landscape destroyed in the district, they have very limited access to the summit to make accurate predictions. The beautiful peak of St. Helens still attracts tourists, only now it is admired from a safe distance.