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History Daily

The Eruption of Mount St. Helens

History Daily

History Daily

History

4.42.5K Ratings

🗓️ 18 May 2026

⏱️ 21 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

May 18, 1980. After a century of silence, Mount St. Helens, a dormant volcano in the scenic Washington countryside comes to life. This episode originally aired in 2023.

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Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:36.9

It's just before 8.30 a.m. on May 18th, 1980, at an observation post just six miles away from Mount St. Helens.

0:45.5

A lanky bearded man with a crop of golden hair sits on a metal chair propped up at the edge of a stony ridge.

0:51.9

As the first rays of sunlight brighten the jagged peak of Mount St. Helens,

0:56.1

30-year-old David Johnston scribbles intently in the notebook on his lap, recording his observations

1:01.2

about the mountain before him. At over 8,000 feet, Mount St. Helens towers over the surrounding

1:06.9

national forest. For over a century, the volcano has been dormant.

1:11.4

But two months ago, that started to change.

1:14.1

In recent weeks, Mount St. Helens has been riddled with small eruptions and earthquakes.

1:19.1

Some scientists think that the volcano is slowly stirring back to life.

1:23.1

David is one of them.

1:24.7

A volcanologist for the United States Geological Survey, he's one of the many

1:28.8

scientists monitoring the mountains reawakening. As David closes his notebook, he looks up at the

1:34.6

snow-cap peak of the volcano. His eyes are drawn to the unusual bulge on the north face of Mount

1:40.5

St. Helens. It's the result of magma being pushed up within the peak, a concerning

1:45.3

sign that an eruption may be near. The observation post-David is Manning has been set up to keep

1:50.9

tabs on the rate at which that bulge is growing. Leaning back in his chair, David yawned softly.

1:57.2

He woke up at the crack of dawn to measure the bulge, and the early start is beginning to tire him.

2:02.3

Balling up his fists, David rubs his eyes drowsily, but just as he starts to nod off, quiet rumbling jerks him away.

...

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