The landslide and eruption of Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1980, created a deep, north-facing, amphitheater-like crater. Over time, rock debris and avalanche snow shed from the steep crater walls, combined with a large annual snowfall, created a thick deposit of snow and rock between the 1980–86 lava dome and the crater walls.

Mount St. Helens pictured the day before the 1980 eruption, which removed much of the northern face of the mountain, leaving a large crater. Mount St. Helens is 34 miles (55 km) west of Mount Adams, in the western part of the Cascade Range.

The Crater Glacier[1] (also known as Tulutson Glacier) is a geologically young glacier on Mount St. Helens, in the U.S. state of Washington. The glacier formed after the 1980 eruption and due to its location, the body of ice grew rapidly, unknown to the public for nearly 20 years.

Mount St. Helens is primarily an explosive dacite volcano with a complex magmatic system. The volcano was formed during four eruptive stages beginning about 275,000 years ago and has been the most active volcano in the Cascade Range during the Holocene.

Feb 8, 2025 · Mount Saint Helens, volcanic peak in the Cascade Range, southwestern Washington, U.S. Its eruption on May 18, 1980, was one of the greatest volcanic explosions ever recorded in North America. A total of 57 people and thousands of animals were killed in the event.

Jul 30, 2019 · Today, the volcanic crater of Washington State’s Mount St. Helens is a noisy, chaotic place: Rocks clatter down sheer slopes, sending up great clouds of dust. Steam—from melting snow hitting hot magma—plumes near the 8,363-foot summit.

Nov 9, 2023 · Over its rich and complex 275,000-year history, Mount St. Helens has produced both violent explosive eruptions of volcanic tephra and relatively quiet outpourings of lava.

Discover the wonder of winter around Mount St. Helens, where many cross-country ski and snowmobile trails are available. Each year thousands of climbers make the journey to the crater rim. Permits are required above 4,800 feet year-round.

May 6, 2020 · The nonprofit Mount St. Helens Institute leads a handful of 10-mile guided hikes past this border every year; the $735 trip is the only way for civilians to see the crater. Today’s expedition is a sort of staff outing, made up of the institute’s volcano experts and board members.

The crater of Mount St. Helens, where lava used to flow and gases used to explode out of, currently holds the youngest glacier on earth: Crater Glacier. At first glance, the volcano’s crater is an unlikely location for a glacier.