A climbing party rests on the lower N flank of Mount St. Helens in 1979, overlooking Spirit Lake and Mount Rainier. The old growth forests surrounding Spirit Lake were destroyed by the lateral blast on May 18, 1980, which covered a 600 km² area on the north side of the volcano. Much of the area around the lake consisted of forests unaffected by logging operations prior to the 1980 eruption. Spirit Lake Lodge, owned by Harry Truman, was located W of the SW tip of the lake to the left.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1979 (Smithsonian Institution).

This image is made available under the Public Domain Dedication CC0 license, but proper attribution is appreciated.

Keywords: stratovolcano

St. Helens