Steve Olson

For months in early 1980, scientists, journalists, and nearby residents listened anxiously to rumblings from Mount St. Helens in southwestern Washington State. Still, no one was prepared when a cataclysmic eruption blew the top off of the mountain, laying waste to hundreds of square miles of land and killing fifty-seven people. Steve Olson interweaves vivid personal stories with the history, science, and economic forces that influenced the fates and futures of those around the volcano. Eruption delivers a spellbinding narrative of an event that changed the course of volcanic science, and an epic tale of our fraught relationship with the natural world.

The Untold Story of Mount St. Helens

Eruption

Megan Parrott

I love how this book combines the history and science of Mount St. Helens and the surrounding areas, in addition to the personal stories of those who died in 1980. Having recently moved to Vancouver, WA (very close to one of the geology labs), I also enjoyed the lessons in railroads, forestry and environmental protections. All in all, a well-rounded account of the past and what it taught us for the future.

Wynter

Heartwrenching. After a not so successful read-through of Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded, this was definitely a change for the better. Olson puts you right into the event, alongside many who lost their lives on the fateful day of May 18th, 1980. The most devastating fact in this tragedy is of course how preventable many of these deaths could have been. The government and the local law enforcement failed their citizens in properly securing the area, educating them on the real dangers of volcanic activity, and expanding no-entry zones. Only three out of almost sixty victims died in the so-called "red zone", two of whom were there legally on scientific permit.

Eruption The Untold Story of Mount St. Helens

Reviews