Translations:AY Honors/Volcanoes/Answer Key/21/en

In the spring of 1980, everything changed. First, there was a series of earthquakes and then came one or, maybe, two thunderous explosions. Mount St. Helens began to spew forth ash and steam. Two craters formed on the volcano and there were avalanches of snow and ice, darkened by ash. Over the next two months, the volcano continued to be active, simmering almost like a pot boiling on a stove. Then on May 18, 1980, the volcano suddenly erupted. Part of the volcano collapsed and became a huge landslide that eventually covered an area of about 24 square miles. There was also a release of pent-up pressure from within the volcano. There was a huge blast of rock, ash and hot gases that devastated an area of about 230 square miles north of the volcano. To the south, the devastated area was much less. Scientists have calculated the blast started at about 220 miles per hour but increased to about 670 miles per hour. The blast was heard as far away as Montana, Idaho, Canada and California.