A Dangerous Surprise

Living near a volcano can be dangerous, though. Volcanoes can erupt without warning.

That is just what happened in 1980 in Washington. On May 18, a volcano named Mount St. Helens erupted. Hot ash and steam blasted out of the volcano.

Few people were ready for it. Even scientists did not know it would happen that day. The volcano had not erupted since 1857.

The burning ash poured down the mountain, killing all the trees and wildlife in its path. The blast produced millions of tons of dust that covered 230 square miles.

Photograph of a volcano erupting and sending ash high up into the air MT. ST. HELENS ERUPTS

MT. ST. HELENS ERUPTS

Key Vocabulary

  • dangerous adj., not safe

  • warning n., a sign that something bad may happen

In Other Words

  • wildlife animals

Math Background

In the United States, people often measure large areas of land in square miles. A square mile is one mile long and one mile wide.