Jeremy
JeremyDear Jeremy,
You raise a very interesting point. Let's start with some basic facts.
The 1980 eruption of Mount St.Helens had a Volcano Explosivity Index of 5. (There have been 84 known eruptions of VEI=5 in the last 10,000 years). The eruption produced 1 billion cubic meters of ash and 10 million cubic meters of lava. About 57 people died. The eruption impacted transportation, water supply, waste disposal, flood control, reservoirs, and power plants. Gases released by the eruption was mostly steam and carbon dioxide.
The 1991 eruption of Pinatubo had a Volcano Explosivity Index of 6. (There have been 39 known eruptions of VEI=6 in the last 10,000 years). The eruption produced 10 billion cubic meters of ash. Timely evacuations saved many lives but more than 300 people died. At Clark Air Base, 14,500 American servicemen and their families were evacuated. Ultimately the base was abandon and the American presence in the Philippines ended. In total, at least 200,000 people were evacuated. The eruption occurred during a typhoon. Pinatubo released a hugh volume of sulfur dioxide which oxidized and reacted with water vapor to form droplets of sulfuric acid. This "cloud" was roughly 200 times more opaque than the one produced by Mount St.Helens. It may have caused global cooling.
You are definitely correct that Pinatubo was a much larger eruption, far more devastating, and with longer term impacts than Mount St. Helens. In my opinion Mount St. Helens received more attention because it was the first eruption in the continental U.S. since the Lassen eruption in 1914-1917. It was in the U.S. and it was easier (and less expensive) for films crew to get to and stay at. It had an impact on Americans for many years after the eruption. Disasters in Third World countries often receive only cursory attention by the American media (usually the first day or climatic event of an eruption). Although they are certainly important regional events they probably have little influence on the day to day lives of Americans. Right or wrong this may be the key point to news editors.
Steve Mattox, University of North Dakota
We welcome other thoughts and opinions on this matter.
Sources of Information:
Bulletin of Global Volcanism Network, 1991, v. 16, no. 5, p. 2-8.
Lipman, P.W., and Mullineaux, D.R., (eds.), The 1980 eruptions of Mount St. Helens, Washington, U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1250,
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