Nova: Mt. St. Helens- Back From the Dead 1: When did Mt. St. Helens erupt last?

The last time was on May 18, 1980 2: Where is Mt. St. Helens located? Washington, U.S.A 3: How much magma is released during the eruption? Millions of tons of magma 4: What is a pyroclastic flow? A cloud of searing gas and rock 5: How far from the summit is Spirit Lake located? 4 miles 6: How many people were killed by the eruption? 57 people were killed 7: How far away was the furthest victim? 13 miles 8: How many birds disappeared during this disaster? How many insects? Thousands of birds and billions of insects disappeared 9: What happens to Spirit Lake? Explain. It became murky, surface was covered in dead trees, and Aquatic animals were killed 10: Explain what the landscape in this region looks like after the eruption. (End of Part I) It had a wide carter and there was no life 11: What is the Pacific Ring of Fire? The vast of arc of volcanoes running for thousands of miles. 12: Explain what has caused the volcano at Mt. St. Helens. When the plates of the earths crust are being pushed together. 13: What did the ecologist find when he first came to the mountain after the eruption? At first nothing then northern Gophers 14: What were the first signs of life at the mountain? What did they see happening? Gophers digging out from underneath the ground. 15: Why were ecologists so surprised to see a flowering plant a year after the eruption? (End of Part II) Plants were flourishing in an area where life was extinguished 16: How has the plant managed to grow in such a barren area? Explain The plant has special roots that provide its own fertilizer by working with the plant and giving the bacterium simple sugar. 17: What is a pioneering species? How do they help out in a nutrient poor environment? Explain. They are species that are the first to colonize previously disrupted ecosystem and they help out a nutrient of environment because they when they die and break down, theyll fertile the soil helping better plants to grow on it. 18: What is causing earthquakes on Mt. St. Helens? Lava breaking through rocks and flowing through the volcano floor

19: Explain how the pioneering species are helping to revive the landscape. When they die they release nutrients to the soil and help other plants to grow ona fertile soil. 20: What were scientists finding in Spirit Lake? Why were the dissolved oxygen levels so low? What was this causing? They were able to find bacteria in Spirit Lake, because bacteria was consuming large amount of oxygen and oxygen was decreasing in the lake. 21: Explain how life in the lake is able to come back. What species is first (pioneering species)? How were they brought to the lake? (End of Part III) Life came back from phytoplankton, they provide oxygen to the lake and they were brought to the lake either by wind or birds. 22: How are the salamanders able to survive in the harsh environment? Because they go into tunnels which is perfect for their living conditions. 23: How was the rate of recovery on the mountain? Was it was scientists expected? (End of Part IV) Scientists expected a slow process but it was going in a really fast pace 24: Where does all of the explosive force in volcanoes come from? Where does the gas come from? (End of Part V) Magma which is pressurized by gas. Discuss the miraculous return of nature to Mt. St. Helens years after the eruption. In your discussion, use the following terms in your answer: Succession, pioneer species, symbiosis (mutualism), and nutrient cycling The return of nature to Mt. St. Helens years after the eruption is said to be miraculous among scientists. The mountain was erupted on May 18th, 1980, and when it did it destroyed any kind of life and nature around it. But what scientists didnt figure out where that nature has its own way of fixing its own problems. By Secondary succession the mountain revived itself again. The process started by pioneer species (plants) which grew in the soil because they have a special root for nitrogen fixation and their symbiosis between bacterium. These plants help develop essential microbes for soil and when they die, theyll break down and fertile the soil so other plants will grow on them. Or animals will consume them and get the nutrients this process is known as nutrient cycling.