At 8:32 a.m. Sunday morning, May 18, 1980, Mt. St. Helens erupted. 36th Anniversary
The eruption lasted 9 hours, but Mount St. Helens and the surrounding landscape were dramatically changed within moments.
In 1982 the President and Congress created the 110,000-acre National Volcanic Monument for research, recreation, and education. Inside the Monument, the environment is left to respond naturally to the disturbance.