May 18, 1980 Mount St. Helens Eruption: Stories from USGS Scientists

USGS scientists C. Dan Miller, Don Mullineaux, Mike Doukas, Norm Banks, Don Swanson, and Richard Waitt talk about their experiences at Mount St. Helens, from tracking and analyzing the early signs of volcanic unrest in March 1980, to documenting the catastrophic eruption on May 18, 1980, and working to forecast eruptions during the subsequent dome building phase within the crater. The scientists speak frankly about the challenges of monitoring volcanoes and how the eruption motivated the USGS to better understand what had happened at Mount St. Helens, in order to anticipate and mitigate the consequences of future explosive eruptions. The interviews were recorded in December 2000.