--Extreme Planet - Final Picture
Just after 8:30am, photographer Robert Landsburg and thousands of others in Washington State were jolted by a modest earthquake. Sightseers and photographers who had come to document the recent volcanic activity at Mount St. Helens immediately set their eyes on the smoldering mountain. Trees crackled and the slopes of Mount St. Helens appeared to ripple as thousands of tiny rock slides cascaded down its slopes. Then, not long after the shaking had stopped, the entire north side of the mountain gave way. The largest landslide in human history plummeted downward in apparent slow-motion to the spectators standing miles away. The rockfall exposed the compressed magma built up within the volcano, and moments later a massive cloud of ash exploded towards the north at a pace that approached the speed of sound. A loud roar was heard hundreds of miles away and yet the explosion shot silently above people in the inundation zone.
Landsburg, who had set up camp about seven miles to the west, photographed the pyroclastic cloud as it hugged the forest floor and thundered towards him. Aware of his fate, Landsburg placed his camera and wallet in a bag to protect its contents. He lay face down on top of it right before the wall of burning ash swept over him.
Landsburg was killed, but his last efforts prevented his final pictures from being incinerated. The film roll was damaged, but nevertheless survived to tell the story of Landsburg's final moments.
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Legends & Tales Of Mount St. Helens
Historical FictionA collection of legends and tales around Mount St. Helens. Collection contains oral accounts from survivors who witnessed the unknown, Native American legends, urban legends, newspaper articles, and first-hand eyewitness accounts from the mountain.
