David A. Johnston, 13 1/2 hours before he was killed in the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens

David Alexander Johnston (December 18, 1949 – May 18, 1980) was a volcanologist with the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Johnston was manning an observation post about 10 km (6 miles) from the volcano Mount St. Helens on the morning of May 18, 1980. He was the first to report the eruption, transmitting the famous message "Vancouver! Vancouver! This is it!" before being swept away by the lateral blast created by the collapse of the mountain's north face. His body was never recovered. Image File history File links MSH80_david_johnston_at_camp_05-17-80_med. ... Image File history File links MSH80_david_johnston_at_camp_05-17-80_med. ... The 1980 eruption of Mount St. ... In the Gregorian calendar, December 18 is the 352nd day of the year (353rd in leap years), with 13 days remaining until the end of the year. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... May 18 is the 138th day of the year (139th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Volcanology (also spelled vulcanology) is the study of volcanoes, lava, magma and related geological phenomena. ... InsertSLUTTY WHORES≤ non-formatted text here{| class=toccolours border=1 cellpadding=4 style=float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; width: 20em; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%; clear: right; |+ United States Geological Survey |- |style= align=center colspan=2| [[Image:USGS logo. ... For the mountain in California see Mount Saint Helena. Mount St. ... May 18 is the 138th day of the year (139th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... The 1980 eruption of Mount St. ... Nickname: Vancouver USA, The Couve Motto: A colorful past, a bright future Location in Washington Coordinates: Country United States State Washington County Clark County Founded 1825 Incorporated 1857 Government  - Mayor Royce Pollard Area  - City  46. ...

The direction of the blast came in fact as no surprise to Johnston, who was the only geologist with the USGS to correctly predict the nature of the eruption. The official USGS prediction was that the volcano would experience a conventional vertical column eruption, while Johnston (who had been doing extensive research on the volcano and the geologic forces at play within and around it) had proposed that the blast would be lateral and originate from the bulge which he had observed developing on the side of the mountain.

Johnston was born in Illinois, and studied geology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He completed his Ph.D. in 1978 at the University of Washington, Seattle, a study of the Mount Augustine volcano in Alaska before starting working with the USGS. Official language(s) English[1] Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Largest metro area Chicago Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (149,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... This article includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), is the largest campus in the University of Illinois system. ... Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated Ph. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... The University of Washington, founded in 1861, is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. ... Augustine volcano lies in southwestern Cook Inlet, southcentral coastal Alaska, 180 kilometers southwest of Anchorage. ... For other uses, see Volcano (disambiguation). ... Official language(s) none Capital Juneau Largest city Anchorage Area  Ranked 1st  - Total 663,267 sq mi (1,717,855 km²)  - Width 808 miles (1,300 km)  - Length 1,479 miles (2,380 km)  - % water 13. ...

In 1997, the area known as Coldwater Ridge was renamed after him. On the ridge is located the Johnston Ridge Observatory, a visitor center and observation post, part of the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. Mount St. ...

External Links

• Obituary on the USGS web site
• A life in science sometimes becomes a death, too, an article in The San Diego Union-Tribune.
• David A. Johnston at Find-A-Grave