Mount St. Helens Volcano Analysis

First, we will discuss Mount St. Helens Volcano. Mount St. Helens is a stratovolcano located in the Pacific Northwest of the United States within Washington State. A stratovolcano is also known as a composite cone, which is “a large symmetrical structure that consists of alternating layers of explosively erupted cinders and ash interspersed with lava flows (Lutgens, 2012.)” Due to the cone shape of the volcano, stratovolcanoes are known for creating large explosive eruptions that can eject vast amounts of pyroclastic material. Mount St. Helens is a part of the Pacific Ocean Ring of Fire that spans across the ocean along the shorelines of continents that are located along the ocean. Within the Ring of Fire the mountain range which Mount St. Helens is a part of in the United States is called the Cascade Range. Of the 13 active volcanoes that are a part of the Cascade Range, Mount St. Helens is one of the more active volcanoes with its last major eruption occurring in May 1980 (Lutgens, 2012.)
In May 1980, following an earthquake Mount St. Helens erupted, triggering a massive landslide, which sent a plume of ash up into the sky so far that it scattered ash across a dozen states (Taylor, 2015.) When the volcano erupted, the north face of the volcano blew out spewing an avalanche of rock and debris up into the atmosphere. In addition to the previously mentioned effects of Mount St. Helens erupting, the blast also caused massive destruction to
(2012). Volcanoes and Volcanic Hazards. In Essentials of Geology (11th ed., p. 104, 105). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.

The Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 35 Years Ago (The Atlantic) By: Taylor, Alan. http://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2015/05/the-eruption-of-mount-st-helens-35-years-ago/393557/ Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument - Home (Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument - Home)