Volcano Facts

than 80 percent of the earth's surface is volcanic in origin. The sea floor and some mountains were formed by countless volcanic eruptions. Gaseous emissions from volcano formed the earth's atmosphere.

May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in the Cascade Range of Washington State happened after more than 100 years of dormancy (a time when the volcano was "asleep.") When the volcano erupted, it took the lives of 58 people and caused $1.2 billion in damage.

The 1992 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines Islands caused 342 deaths and more than 250,000 people had to be evacuated.

are more than 500 active volcanoes in the world. More than half of these volcanoes are part of the "Ring of Fire," a region that encircles the Pacific Ocean.

The rock debris carried by a lateral blast of Mount St. Helens traveled as fast as 250 miles per hour.

Crater Lake in Oregon formed from a high volcano that lost its top after a series of tremendous explosions about 6,600 years ago.