Mount St. Helens had stood silent for over a century in Washington’s Cascade Range. But that changed 43 years ago Thursday when the sleeping giant woke up and erupted into Pacific Northwest history. At 8:32 a.m. on May 18, 1980, a 5.1 magnitude earthquake rattled Mount St. Helens and the north side of the volcano’s summit began to slide down the mountain. The landslide of rock and ice was the largest in recorded history, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). MORE: https://bit.ly/3oiyfY

Mount St. Helens eruption, 1980

The eruption of Mount St. Helens happened 42 years ago today on May 18, 1980. It remains the deadliest volcanic eruption in US history. >>Trending stories: kiro.tv/3ksZXKp | KIRO 7 News