After the eruption of mount st. helen’s, what lesson did biological legacies teach, and astonished, scientists?

The eruption of Mount St. Helens 35 years ago provided an amazing opportunity for scientists to study the effects of catastrophe. The incredible lessons are as valuable as ever!

Awesome Science Volumes 1 - 12: DVD Pack Shop Now

May 18, 2015, marks the 35th anniversary of one of the most violent natural disasters of our modern time, the colossal 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington state. Its explosive power shocked the world and made headline news. Fifty-seven people died, over $1 billion worth of property was destroyed, and over 230 square miles (600 km2) of forests were immediately flattened. Recent rumblings are again making news, raising fears that the volcano may be reawakening.

While the losses were tragic, the value to science has been inestimable. Geologists vastly improved their ability to predict eruptions, safely evacuating tens of thousands of Filipino people before Pinatubo erupted in 1991. Scientists began learning many other valuable lessons, some of which have challenged the foundations of evolutionary thinking.

Harry R. Truman

Copyright Bettmann/Corbis / AP Images

Harry R. Truman, who operated a lodge near Mount St. Helens for over fifty years, became a folk hero when he refused to evacuate. “The mountain is a mile away,” he told reporters. “The mountain ain’t gonna hurt me.” He and his lodge were later buried under 150 feet (46 m) of debris.

The eruption of Mount St. Helens is often regarded as the most significant geologic event of the twentieth century. Since the volcano was conveniently located in Washington state, only two hours’ drive from Portland, scientists could document the eruption in unprecedented detail. Although not the most powerful explosion on record, it provided a natural laboratory for understanding how quickly catastrophic processes can reshape the earth, and how rapidly wildlife can recover.

Within moments of eruption, the whole northern side of the mountain (two-thirds of a cubic mile of rock) slid away—the largest observed landslide on record. The eruption lasted nine hours, followed by more eruptions over the next six years. Geologists, who are accustomed to thinking about slow evolutionary processes shaping our world, were astounded by the scale of initial destruction and the speed at which new geologic features formed. Thirty-five years later, Mount St. Helens still teaches us lessons about the powerful forces the Creator used to shape the earth. These findings confront the underlying slow-and-gradual assumptions of modern geologic thinking, and they give us invaluable clues about the catastrophic potential of a global, cataclysmic Flood.

- "the civil rights movements"

- "following the american civil war and abolition of slavery, the united states entered a period known as reconstruction, during which black americans continued to suffer from disenfranchisement, racial segregation, and economic oppression. beginning in the early 1950's, black americans launched a series of major campaigns of civil resistance, emphasizing the need for nonviolent protests and civil disobedience."

"such as the montgomery bus boycott of 1955-56, a campaign launched by rosa parks against the policy of racial segregation of the public transit system in alabama. “sit-ins” became popular across the american south, particularly in greensboro, north carolina, increase national sentiment."

- "the counterculture movement"

- "counterculture began to develop in the united states following the rise of conformity in american culture during the 1950s. by 1963, youth, particularly those of the white middle class, began rejecting the cultural standards and normality of their parents, opting for progressive attitudes instead. the movement gained momentum as the civil rights movement became increasingly successful and as the u.s. military intervention of vietnam began to take a negative turn."

"hippie counterculture moved further into popular culture following the summer of love in 1967 when thousands of people came together in the haight-ashbury neighborhood of san francisco. along with greenwich village in new york city, haight-ashbury became a hub for the counterculture movement."