Mount St. Helens, Washington, USA
U.S. Geological Survey photos by Harry Glicken (fair use policy)
Mount St. Helens was once considered the most beautiful of the Cascade volcanoes. In the 1960s, it was evaluated as the most dangerous of them, too. But no one paid that second fact any mind until the spring of 1980, when activity began inside the stratovolcano. This photo was taken on Saturday 17 May 1980, the last day the mountain looked so good.
The next day it was destroyed, and when the photographer returned to Johnston's Ridge on 10 September the volcano literally looked like hell. It will likely be centuries, perhaps thousands of years, before Mount St. Helens regains its old appearance. Here's an article with more about the eruption and the man who gave his name to Johnston's Ridge . . . and his life to science.
More pictures from the Cascades Range
