Mount St. Helens

volcano · washington state · nature power · geology

Active stratovolcano. Mount St. Helens is a real, living volcano in Skamania County, Washington, about 52 miles northeast of Portland, Oregon. It's part of the Cascade Volcanic Arc, which is part of the huge Ring of Fire that circles the Pacific Ocean.

Famous eruption. In 1980, Mount St. Helens had one of the biggest volcanic eruptions in United States history. The explosion was so powerful it changed the landscape forever.

Tall and steep. Mount St. Helens is a stratovolcano, which means it's built up from many layers of hardened lava, ash, and rock. This kind of volcano tends to be tall and cone-shaped with steep sides.

Named after a diplomat. The volcano got its English name from Alleyne FitzHerbert, 1st Baron St Helens, a British diplomat who was friends with explorer George Vancouver. Vancouver surveyed the area in the late 1700s and named the mountain after his friend.