The Lateral Blast Eruption of Mount St Helens at 08:32 on 18 May 1980 That Killed 57 People and Removed 400 Metres of the Summit
An earthquake-triggered landslide on the north face of Mount St Helens at 08:32:11 PDT on 18 May 1980 unblocked a pressurised magma chamber. The resulting lateral blast removed approximately 400 metres of the volcano's summit, levelled 600 square kilometres of forest, and killed 57 people. It is the deadliest volcanic event in US history.
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