After the awe inspiring eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano last month, it’s important to remember the powerful forces at work just miles beneath the ground on which we live.  While this most recent eruption spewed tons of ash into the atmosphere disrupting flights across Europe, just 30 years ago an even more massive volcanic explosion leveled a portion of the American northwest.  From Wired…

“The nine-hour eruption blew 520 million tons of ash over 230 square miles and knocked down 14 billion board feet of timber. Fifty-seven people died, including one geologist, and more than $1 billion in damage (1980 dollars) was done, making it the most destructive eruption in U.S. history.”

The following time lapse video assembled from photos taken over the course of 30 years and made possible by NASA/USGS Landsat satellites shows the amazing recovery of vegetation at the base of Mount St. Helens.  In just one human generation, life has almost completely recovered from the devastation brought on by the volcano.  Be sure to notice the crater left after the eruption in 1980.

[Via:  Wired]