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From Quiet Mountain to Cataclysm: The 1980 Eruption of Mount St. Helens

Release Date: 05/20/2025

2025 Kamchatka Peninsula Earthquake

Earthquake!

On July 30, 2025, at 11:24 a.m. local time, a magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off the east coast of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, generating a Pacific-wide tsunami. Although this powerful earthquake was tied as the sixth strongest ever recorded by seismometers, the tsunami was weaker than initially feared, and the impact in terms of loss of life was minimal. In this episode, we examine how effective planning and warning systems helped minimize casualties. We also debunk a myth about a "parade of erupting volcanoes" and share essential tsunami safety information – all while doing our best to...

QuakeFeed v6.5.7 Update

Earthquake!

QuakeFeed v6.5.7 available now in the App Store. We fixed a bug in the Filter by Alert Settings feature. This episode gives a quick overview of this feature and how to adjust data source and filter settings in QuakeFeed. Links to "how to" videos also included below. Big thank you to the member of the QuakeFeed community who brought this bug to our attention! ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – QuakeFeed v6.5.7 00:32 – Filter by Alerts 00:59 – Step-by-step Instructions 01:36 – Data Source and Filters 01:47 – Alert Settings 02:20 – How to Send Support Request 📚 Learn More...

1976 Tangshan Earthquake

Earthquake!

On July 28, 1976, at 3:42 AM, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck the sleeping city of Tangshan, China. The official death toll was 242,469, making it the deadliest earthquake since modern seismic recording began. Why was this earthquake so deadly? Learn about six factors that came together to create a worst case scenario. ⏱️ Timestamps INTRODUCTION 00:00 – Welcome 00:18 – Topic Introduction 1976 EARTHQUAKE FACTS 00:35 –Tangshan in 1976 00:58 –Date, time, magnitude 01:21 – Deaths and Damage WHY WAS THIS EARTHQUAKE SO DEADLY? 01:49 – Early morning; people were sleeping...

QuakeFeed v6.5.6 Update

Earthquake!

Quick update from QuakeFeed HQ regarding v6.5.6 (available July 21, 2025). How to close the “On This Day in Earthquake History” info panel. Why it’s helpful to learn about historical earthquakes. Feature freeze in preparation for iOS 26. (.) ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – QuakeFeed v6.5.6 01:03 – Why learn about historical earthquakes? 01:42 – Planned OTD for August 02:04 – Feature freeze; prep for iOS 26 📚 Learn More 🎙️ QuakeFeed Podcast: v6.5.5 Update + Safety Tips 🔗 Wikipedia: iOS 26 📱 Download QuakeFeed for Real-Time Alerts Stay...

2019 Ridgecrest Earthquake Sequence: An Independence Day California Won't Forget

Earthquake!

On July 4, 2019, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck near Ridgecrest, a town in California's Mojave Desert. Thirty-four hours later, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit the same area – the largest to strike California in 20 years. Shaking was felt across California, Arizona, and Nevada. The earthquakes killed one person, injured 25, and caused surface ruptures stretching 30 miles with ground displacement exceeding six feet. Total damage exceeded $5.3 billion. Learn about the impact of the Ridgecrest earthquakes and how they became a case study for understanding earthquake cascades and stress...

1925 Santa Barbara Earthquake: How They Rebuilt with Safety and Style

Earthquake!

On June 29, 1925, at 6:44 a.m., a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Santa Barbara, California, killing 13 people and damaging 85% of its downtown buildings. Three brave and quick-thinking utility workers immediately cut power and gas to the entire city, preventing widespread fires, saving lives, and shielding Santa Barbara from further destruction. This gave engineers and seismologists a rare laboratory for studying seismic damage without fire obscuring the destruction patterns. What they learned led Santa Barbara to adopt comprehensive seismic building codes. But the city didn’t just...

QuakeFeed v6.5.5 Update + Safety Tips

Earthquake!

A quick update from QuakeFeed HQ! Here's what we've been working on: “On This Day in Earthquake History” — now available as Substack posts and podcast episodes. QuakeFeed v6.5.5 is out now! This update includes links to our "On This Day" Substack and podcast content. Preparing for Apple's "Liquid Glass" — a major iOS redesign is coming in September 2025. Plus: A a few quick safety reminders to help you stay prepared. ⏱️ Timestamps INTRODUCTION 00:00 – Welcome 00:10 – What's in this episode NEW CONTENT FROM QUAKEFEED 00:25 – Relaunch of QuakeFeed Podcast 01:02 –...

Dad Jokes for Father's Day (Earthquake Edition)

Earthquake!

Join Linda, James, and Sequoya as they honor dads everywhere with earthquake-themed dad jokes – we're talking truly groan-worthy puns about tectonic plates, fault lines, and confused pets trying to figure out earthquake drills. This special Father's Day episode pays tribute to James's late father, a legendary math teacher and swim coach who brought humor into everything he did. For a limited time, we've also replaced the ads in QuakeFeed's earthquake list with these same dad jokes – and many more! Because while earthquakes are serious business, your earthquake app doesn't have to feel...

From Quiet Mountain to Cataclysm: The 1980 Eruption of Mount St. Helens

Earthquake!

Hosts Linda and Sequoya explore the catastrophic 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens through the contrasting stories of two men: 83-year-old lodge owner Harry R. Truman, who stubbornly refused evacuation despite repeated warnings, and 30-year-old volcanologist David A. Johnston, whose final radio transmission—"Vancouver! Vancouver! This is it!"—immortalized his ultimate sacrifice for public safety. Through vivid storytelling, the podcast chronicles the dramatic sequence of events from the first warning signs to the fateful morning of May 18, 1980, when a magnitude 5.1 earthquake triggered...

Plate Tectonics (part 1)

Earthquake!

We exhaust our repertoire of tectonic plate jokes while introducing the following topics: the earth’s layers, what are tectonic plates, three types of plate boundaries, plate boundaries vs faults, and how earthquakes happen. This is a brief overview to lay the groundwork. (… pun intended!) Future episodes will dive deeper. INTERACTIVE LESSON We explain how to use the QuakeFeed app to locate plate boundaries and faults on the Quake Map. ASK THE SCIENCE KID We answer an interesting question about earthquakes in Antarctica. Our goal is to inspire CURIOSITY! We hope you and your family enjoy...

More Episodes

Hosts Linda and Sequoya explore the catastrophic 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens through the contrasting stories of two men: 83-year-old lodge owner Harry R. Truman, who stubbornly refused evacuation despite repeated warnings, and 30-year-old volcanologist David A. Johnston, whose final radio transmission—"Vancouver! Vancouver! This is it!"—immortalized his ultimate sacrifice for public safety.

Through vivid storytelling, the podcast chronicles the dramatic sequence of events from the first warning signs to the fateful morning of May 18, 1980, when a magnitude 5.1 earthquake triggered history's largest recorded landslide and an unexpected lateral blast. Truman, paradoxically both dismissive of the danger and accepting of his fate, chose to remain with the mountain that had shaped his identity. Johnston, though positioned at what was considered a safe observation distance, tragically found himself directly in the eruption's path.

Beyond these personal stories, the episode captures remarkable survivor accounts, details the eruption's devastating economic consequences, and explores how this disaster fundamentally changed our scientific understanding of volcanic hazards and revolutionized monitoring approaches worldwide.

⏱️ Timestamps

INTRODUCTION:

00:00 – Welcome

01:50 – Why we made this episode

HISTORICAL CONTEXT:

02:50 – “Mount Fuji of the Pacific Northwest”

04:00 – Mount St. Helens Wakes Up

THE TWO MEN

06:40 – Meet Harry R. Truman

08:30 –Truman Refuses to Evacuate

11:20 – Meet David A. Johnston

12:15 – Johnston’s Bravery

13:00 – Red Zone Established

MAY 18, 1980 ERUPTION SEQUENCE

13:45 – Earthquake, Landslide, Lateral Blast

15:35 – Johnston’s Last Radio Transmission

16:00 – Truman’s Fate

16:35 – Gerry Martin’s Radio Transmission

17:20 – Photos of Landslide and Lateral Blast

19:00 – Plinian Eruption

19:50 – Lahars

AFTERMATH & IMPACT

21:05 – Economic Impact

21:30 – Advances in Scientific Understanding

22:10 – Public Safety Lessons

CLOSING

23:20 – Closing Thoughts

24:25 – What’s Next

📚 Learn More

▶️ Mount St. Helens – Full Playlist on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLO683wv5Jx1EmLc_-N7vTUyw8mtNJNgJP

▶️ Gary Rosenquist Sequence – AI Animated

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNlP9TGZOMI

▶️ Remembering David Johnston

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sg2rufseJ_w

🔗 From Quiet Mountain to Cataclysm

https://quakefeed.substack.com/p/from-quiet-mountain-to-cataclysm

📱 Download QuakeFeed for Real-Time Alerts

Stay informed and safe – get the QuakeFeed app now:

https://apps.apple.com/app/quakefeed-earthquake-alerts/id403037266

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