| "The Eruption of Mount St. Helens!" chronicles the cataclysmic events
during one of America's most famous natural disasters, capturing the
dramatic primary and secondary eruptions that began on Sunday, May 18,
1980 at 8:32 a.m. When the destruction was over, the once beautiful
symmetrical cone rising 9,667 feet above sea level had lost over 8.8
billion cubic yards of ice, rock and dirt, decreasing its height by
1,300 feet. Originally shot in the IMAX format, this film includes
footage from the rescue helicopters that combed the area looking for
survivors after the initial eruption. These amazing scenes reveal an
unearthly landscape of mud, ash, and steaming craters, which sharply
contrasts with the pre-eruption scenery of pristine snow-covered peaks
and the crystal waters of Spirit Lake. As the film revisits the
area a decade later, it is startling to see the rapid recovery after so
much devastation. In this celebration of nature, "The Eruption of Mount
St. Helens!" explores the power of nature to destroy, and to heal, in a
cycle of destruction and creation that constantly changes the world in
which we live. |
