The Nagasaki bomb was about 20 kilotons, whereas Mount St. Helens’ initial blast was 7 megatons and eventually released 24 megatons of thermal energy, says Olson (he previously wrote a book on St. Helens called Eruption).
How many megatons was Mt. St. Helens explosion?
Helens eruption of 18 May 1980. Wave signatures were similar to those of waves from large nuclear explosions. Independent theoretical and empirical analyses indicate that the explosive yield of the eruption was approximately 35 megatons.
How powerful was the explosion of Mt. St. Helens?
The eruption produced a force equal to 10–50 megatons of TNT, the equivalent of 25,000 atomic bombs released over the city of Hiroshima during World War II, and superheated gas and rock exploded out of the volcano sideways at speeds of up to 400 mph.
How big was the blast of Mt. St. Helens?
229 square miles
Notable Statistic: The May 18, 1980 blast devastated 596 square kilometers (229 square miles) and destroyed timber valued at several million dollars. This was the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic event in the history of the United States.
Is a volcano more powerful than a nuclear bomb?
Tonga volcano eruption released more energy than the most powerful nuclear bomb. The eruption of the underwater volcano in Tonga that triggered a tsunami earlier this year (January 2022), released more energy than the Tsar Bomba – the most powerful nuclear bomb ever detonated – according to a new study.
What volume of rock was erupted from Mt. St. Helens?
The St. Helens May 18 eruption released 24 megatons of thermal energy and ejected more than 0.67 cubic miles (2.79 km3) of material. The removal of the north side of the mountain reduced St.
Is Mount St. Helens explosive or quiet?
Helens and other volcanoes in the Cascades arc due to subduction of the Juan de Fuca plate off the western coast of North America. 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.
How much bigger would the Yellowstone than Mt St Helens?
The three caldera-forming eruptions at Yellowstone (2.1 million years ago, 1.3 million years ago, and 640,000 years ago), were respectively about 2,500, 700, and 1,000 times larger than the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens in the state of Washington.
How big was Mt St Helens eruption compared to atomic bombs?
In total, Mount St. Helens released 24 megatons of thermal energy, seven of which were a direct result of the blast. This is equivalent to 1,600 times the size of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
Did they know Mt St Helens was going to explode?
In 1980, Mt St. Helens’ continued seismicity warned scientists at monitoring stations that the volcano might erupt, but the danger zone around the mountain turned out to be much too small.
Which was the most powerful eruption in human history?
The most violent eruption registered in history was that in the La Garita Caldera in the United States. It occurred 2.1 million years ago and formed a 35 x 75 km crater, drastically changing the climate on Earth.
What was the largest volcanic eruption in history?
In the northern part of the Indonesian island of Sumatra lies the Toba caldera, a massive crater formed by what scientists think is the largest volcanic eruption ever experienced by humanity. The eruption, called the Youngest Toba Tuff supereruption, took place about 74,000 years ago.
What president was killed by Mt. St. Helens?
Harry R. Truman
| Harry R. Truman | |
|---|---|
| Truman near his lodge in 1980, a few months before his death | |
| Born | October 30, 1896 Ivydale, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | May 18, 1980 (aged 83) Mount St. Helens, Washington, U.S. |
| Occupation | Bootlegger, prospector, caretaker of the Mount St. Helens Lodge |
How devastating was Mt. St. Helens?
It was shortly after 8:30 a.m. on May 18, 1980 when Mount St. Helens erupted in Washington state. The eruption would quickly become the deadliest in U.S. history, killing 57 people. The destruction caused more than $1 billion in damage.
What killed the most people in Mt. St. Helens?
asphyxiation
Fifty-seven people died when Mount St. Helens erupted in Washington on May 18, 1980 at 8:32 a.m. Autopsies showed that most of the people killed in the eruption likely died from asphyxiation after inhaling hot ash, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Could a nuke set off Yellowstone?
Could a nuclear explosion on Yellowstone cause it to errupt? Perhaps. The Yellowstone Reservoir is FAR beneath the surface, much too far out of reach of any nuclear crater. But a nuclear detonation COULD destabilize the Yellowstone area and cause an eruption.
Is there a volcano stronger than Yellowstone?
It’s called the La Garita Caldera, and it rivals the Toba eruption in Indonesia and all Yellowstone eruptions. These are “supervolcanoes,” so comparing them to Italy’s Vesuvius or Washington’s Mount St. Helens is like comparing blowing out birthday candles to a hurricane.
Which supervolcano is the strongest?
[+] The explosion of the Mount Toba supervolcano, located on the modern island of Sumatra, some 74,000 years ago, was Earth’s largest eruption in the past 28 million years.
How loud was St Helens?
On 18th May 1980, Mount St Helens erupted in Skamania County, Washington. The force was enough to blow down trees 16 miles away and it was seen on the Space Shuttle from outer space. The sound measured 163 decibels and the force blew windows out up to 200 miles away in Seattle!
How far away were trees blown down Mt St Helens?
Within 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) north, it didn’t matter whether the trees were on the near or far sides; the blast cloud “followed topography, eroding timber as it slowed down into each valley and up over each succeeding traverse ridge.” Where it passed, the trees were simply gone, leaving behind nothing but shattered
Is Mt St Helens bigger than Mt Rainier?
Helens, the vastly more heavily populated areas surrounding Rainier, and the fact that Mount Rainier is almost twice the size of St. Helens.