If you're younger than thirty, 29 years goes by faster than you might think. But my memories of the spring of 1980 are still fairly clear, especially the events of May 18, when Mount St. Helens had a flank collapse and a catastrophic lateral-blast eruption. I was far away, but working among the geologists who were watching the volcano. One of those geologists died that day. Had he lived, he would be near retirement now after a stellar career. I have a few more remembrances in this article; what's new this year is that now you can add your own stories to mine. Look for the submission link at the end, or just go there directly now. You'll need to use (or register to get) your About.com forum username—registering does not put you on anyone's spam list.
Volcanoes in a nutshell
The major types of volcanoes
Geology of Washington
Mount St. Helens the day before — US Geological Survey photo
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