Mount St. Helens
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Eruption summary

High-altitude color-infrared photographs vividly show the volcano's impact on the area.

 
Before
Photo
  After
Photo
 
Color swatch

In these photos, purple indicates areas of green vegetation.

  • Trees blown down: 4 billion board feet
  • Lava volume: 120 feet deep in places
  • Lava temperature: At least 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Slide area: 23 square miles
  • Property damage: 27 bridges, nearly 200 homes, 185 miles of highways/roads
  • Effect on Columbia River: Reduced channel depth from 40 feet to 14 feet
  • Wildlife casualties: Killed in the blast were 7,000 deer, elk and bear; all birds and most small mammals; 12 million chinook and coho salmon fingerlings in hatcheries and an estimated 40,000 young salmon in the wild
  • Cost of damage and cleanup: More than $1.1 billion
 

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