David A. Johnston

David A. Johnston was an American volcanologist with the United States Geological Survey who was killed while monitoring the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens.

Harry Glicken: Harry Glicken was an American volcanologist who studied Mount St. Helens and survived the 1980 eruption after leaving the volcano before the blast. Glicken and Johnston studied the volcano; Glicken had briefly occupied Johnston’s monitoring position.
1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens: The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens was a major volcanic event in Washington that began on May 18 with a devastating lateral blast. Johnston was monitoring the volcano when the May 18 blast killed him.
Volcanic hazard: A volcanic hazard is a potentially harmful process or material produced by volcanic activity. Johnston’s work addressed hazards that threatened communities and field teams around Mount St. Helens.
Seismic monitoring: Seismic monitoring measures ground vibrations to detect and characterize earthquakes and volcanic activity. Earthquake activity was one of the signals scientists tracked at Mount St. Helens.
Robert Christiansen: Robert Christiansen was a United States Geological Survey volcanologist who investigated Mount St. Helens before and during its 1980 eruptive crisis. Christiansen was among the USGS scientists interpreting the volcano’s activity alongside Johnston.
Mount St. Helens: Mount St. Helens is an active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of southwestern Washington. Its 1980 eruptive crisis was the setting for Johnston’s research and death.
Volcano monitoring: Volcano monitoring is the systematic measurement of volcanic activity to assess changes and support hazard warnings. Johnston’s observations contributed to monitoring the volcano during its 1980 crisis.
Volcanic deformation: Volcanic deformation is a change in a volcano’s shape or position caused by processes such as magma movement. The north flank’s deformation revealed the growing instability Johnston and colleagues investigated.
Dwight Crandell: Dwight Crandell was a United States Geological Survey geologist known for research on the history and hazards of Cascade volcanoes. Crandell’s studies helped establish the geological context for assessing Mount St. Helens’ hazards.
Lateral blast: A lateral blast is a volcanic explosion directed sideways rather than primarily upward. The 1980 blast swept across Johnston’s observation site at high speed.

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