Q 01/05

In which US state is Mount St. Helens?

A) Washington

B) Oregon

C) California

D) Alaska

Answer · why

A) Washington

Washington: the volcano stands in the state's southwest, so its nearest big city is actually Portland, Oregon, about 50 miles away.

Q 02/05

Because Mount St. Helens erupted on a Sunday, which workers normally found in the blast zone were mostly away?

A) Miners

B) Fruit pickers

C) Loggers

D) Railway crews

Answer · why

C) Loggers

Loggers: the crews who felled timber all around the volcano were off for the weekend, and officials believe a weekday blast would have killed far more...

Q 03/05

How many people were killed by Mount St. Helens's 1980 eruption?

A) 57

B) 240

C) 1,000

D) 4,500

Answer · why

A) 57

The 18 May 1980 eruption killed 57 people, most by asphyxiation from hot ash; the bodies of some victims were never found.

Q 04/05

What was the magnitude of the earthquake that triggered the collapse of the mountain's north face?

A) 5.1

B) 5.9

C) 6.8

D) 7.4

Answer · why

A) 5.1

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake at 8:32 am on 18 May 1980 shook loose the bulging north face, triggering the largest landslide in recorded history.

Q 05/05

By roughly how much did the 1980 eruption lower Mount St. Helens's summit?

A) About 130 feet

B) About 400 feet

C) About 1,300 feet

D) About 4,000 feet

Answer · why

C) About 1,300 feet

About 1,300 feet: the peak fell from 9,677 to 8,363 feet, and the missing top was not blown sky-high but slid away down the mountain's north side.