The long dormant Mount St. Helens volcano of the Cascade Mountain Range in Washington State erupted on May 18, 1980. This book follows the environmental events leading up to this major eruption and details the dramatic changes that occurred to the surrounding landscape within seconds of the explosion. Straightforward text describes how new plant and animal populations repopulated the desolate mountain, the toll the event took on human life and the economy, and why human lives were lost even in the face of knowledge of the impending explosion.