The 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption began with a steady series of earthquakes in March. By April it began spewing smoke, massive landslides on the north side of the mountain began, as a massive bulge a half-mile wide crept six feet a day up the mountainside.

Color photos shot in 1980 from the cockpit of a Cessna 150 reveal the magnitude of Mount St. Helens' ash and destruction amid volcano's eruption.