On March 20, 1980, magma began rising into Mount St. Helens, and the volcano’s summit diverted it sideways, pushing the northern slope outward at a rate of five feet per day. On the morning of May 18th, the north face of Mount St. Helens collapsed in a gigantic landslide, super-heated groundwater flashed to steam, and gases dissolved in the magma burst outward in a hurricane-force blast of hot gas, ash, and rock. The ground-hugging lateral blast killed trees as far as 17 miles away, including the standing dead trees around this area. Part of the landscape transformed by this exceptional event was set aside as Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, a reminder of the power of volcanoes. Within the Tree Removal Zone, from 0 to 7.5 miles from the mountain, the lateral blast uprooted, shattered, and swept away the forest. In the Blowdown Zone, from 7.5 to 15.5 miles from the mountain, the blast blew down trees, though topography channeled the blast cloud and left some standing. In the Scorch Zone, from 2 to 17 miles from the mountain, the heat of the blast scorched and killed trees, creating a ghostly standing dead forest.