In this week's imaginary visit, I traveled to Mount St. Helens. Mount St. Helens is located in
Skamania County, Washington and is apart of the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest.
Mount St. Helens is an active volcano and the last major eruption happened in 1980. In 1980 an
earthquake occurred below Mount St. Helens which caused a major landslide and large eruption.
This eruption caused the top 1,300 feet of the volcano to explode. This explosion caused ash to
cover multiple surrounding states. Mount St. Helens has an elevation of 8,363 feet and is
considered as a stratovolcano. A stratovolcano is formed over thousands of years from multiple
eruptions. These eruptions cause magma, ash, rock, and other materials to explode and build up
around the molten center creating a dome shape. As the years go by these materials solidify and
create layers that cause the volcano to increase in elevation.
Skamania County, Washington and is apart of the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest.
Mount St. Helens is an active volcano and the last major eruption happened in 1980. In 1980 an
earthquake occurred below Mount St. Helens which caused a major landslide and large eruption.
This eruption caused the top 1,300 feet of the volcano to explode. This explosion caused ash to
cover multiple surrounding states. Mount St. Helens has an elevation of 8,363 feet and is
considered as a stratovolcano. A stratovolcano is formed over thousands of years from multiple
eruptions. These eruptions cause magma, ash, rock, and other materials to explode and build up
around the molten center creating a dome shape. As the years go by these materials solidify and
create layers that cause the volcano to increase in elevation.
Since Mount St. Helens is a stratovolcano, it is likely to erupt again. Mount St. Helens has an eruption cycle of 100-300 years and alternates between dormant and active. The reason why we know Mount St. Helens will erupt again is because of its history being documented by the Native Americans. These eruptions in the past have been very explosive and dangerous. In the future, we can expect Mount St. Helens to affect the local cities, the state of Washington and even the surrounding states. Stratovolcanoes are one of the most dangerous volcanoes because they don't just spew lava but instead erupted with great force.
The reason why Mount St. Helens is located in Washington is because of Washington’s location.
Mount St. Helens is apart of a series of volcanoes that is called the ring of fire. The ring of fire
spans a great distance surrounding the pacific ocean. The ring of fire is comprised of 450
volcanoes with a very active earthquake presence. The reason why there are so many
volcanoes and earthquakes in the ring of fire is because of the tectonic plates. These tectonic
plates located in the ring of fire make up a transform boundary. A transform boundary means that
the plates move sideways which creates a large amount of pressure that is released in the form
of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
Mount St. Helens is apart of a series of volcanoes that is called the ring of fire. The ring of fire
spans a great distance surrounding the pacific ocean. The ring of fire is comprised of 450
volcanoes with a very active earthquake presence. The reason why there are so many
volcanoes and earthquakes in the ring of fire is because of the tectonic plates. These tectonic
plates located in the ring of fire make up a transform boundary. A transform boundary means that
the plates move sideways which creates a large amount of pressure that is released in the form
of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
After reading and researching Mount St. Helen's I plan on trying to visit it in the near future. The history is rich and it is only 76 miles from Portland which makes it very accessible.
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