Mount St. Helens Revisited: Lives Changed, Lessons Learned, and Legacies of the 1980 Eruptions
By Carolyn Driedger, USGS Hydrologist & Outreach Specialist
Mount St. Helens’ eruptions had a disproportionately large influence on our understanding of volcanoes, hazards, and eruption response. Unique circumstances, both locally and abroad, molded the responses to Mount St. Helens’ awakening. The eruptions provoked change not only within volcanology, but within allied professions. A direct line exists between lessons learned at Mount St. Helens and current volcanic eruption planning efforts by the USGS.