The Eruptions of Mt. St. Helens Quiz

Answer: Loowit

According to ancient lore, Klickitat and Wy'east, sons of the god Saghalie, fell in love with a beautiful maiden named Loowit. They fought over her and devastated the region. As punishment, Saghalie turned all three into mountains. Klickitat became Mt. Adams, Wy'east became Mt. Hood, and Loowit was transformed into Mt. St.

Helens. Gitcheegumi is a Native American word for Lake Superior.

Answer: Alleyne Fitzherbert

Fitzherbert was Baron St. Helens, a British diplomat. Vancouver's ship was the HMS Discovery. Helen is the patron saint of difficult marriages. I don't know Captain Vancouver's mother's name, or if he thought she was saintly.

Answer: 1857

Mt. St. Helens erupted periodically during the first half of the 19th century. A significant eruption occurred in 1842. The mountain had a final eruption in 1857 and then was dormant until the spring of 1980.

Answer: May 18

On May 18th, 1980, at 8:32 AM, a magnitude 5.1 earthquake caused the north face of the mountain to slide off. This was immediately followed by a massive lateral blast as gases trapped in the mountain were released. Once uncorked, Mt. St. Helens spewed ash for hours, encircling the globe and blanketing much of the state of Washington.

Answer: 57

A total of 57 persons died, most from the effects of the lateral blast, which leveled the forest for miles. The death toll could have been much higher, as residents of the Toutle River Valley were scheduled to return to their homes to get belongings at 10AM. Also, since it was a Sunday, hundreds of loggers who worked the forest near the volcano had the day off.

Many of the victims have never been found. A memorial to all who died can be found at the Coldwater Creek Visitors Center near the mountain.

Answer: "Vancouver, Vancouver, this is it!"

Johnston was observing Mt St Helens from a ridge 6 miles (10km) away and managed to get this message off to the U.S. Geological Survey headquarters in Vancouver, WA. His body was never found. The Johnston Ridge Observatory was built on the site of his observation post and named in his honor. Johnston's research helped future scientists in predicting volcanic eruptions, including Mt. Pinatubo, which saved many lives.

Answer: 1986

While the violent eruption ended the next day, Mt. St. Helens had sporadic smaller eruptions for months afterwards before entering a rebuilding phase characterized by growth of the crater lava dome. By the end of 1986, the dome had reached a height of 800 feet, at which point the mountain began to slumber again.

Answer: Green River

The lateral blast instantly melted tons of snow and ice, sending a torrent of mud called a lahar down the Toutle River valley and destroying everything in its path. The debris flow dumped into the Cowlitz and then Columbia Rivers, where it posed a threat to shipping and the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant. The Green River flows off of Mt. Rainier.

Answer: 2004

On October 11, 2004, Mt. St. Helens "cleared its throat" with a blast of ash and then entered another rebuilding period which added a new lava dome above the 1980-86 dome. An excellent site for viewing the results of this eruption is: http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/MSH/Images/MSH04/crater_dome_eruption_april_2006.html

Answer: Ronald Reagan

Reagan and Congress created the monument in 1982. It is definitely worth checking out if you are in the area! Admission is free on May 18th. If you can't afford the trip, check out the VolcanoCam at http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/volcanocams/msh/