David A. Johnston
American volcanologist (1949-1980) · United States · On the map · Scientists · Died at 30
David Alexander Johnston was an American United States Geological Survey (USGS) volcanologist who was killed by the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in the U.S. state of Washington.
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Photos 12
Johnston using a correlation spectrometer, which measures ultraviolet radiation as an indicator of the sulfur dioxide content of gases ejected from Mount St. Helens. Photographed on April 4, 1980.
Johnston going into the Mount St. Helens crater to sample the lake. Photographed on April 30, 1980.
Johnston sampling the lake
Johnston (center) climbing into the summit crater of Mount St. Helens to sample gases. For the scale, see this picture.
Mount St. Helens one day before the eruption, photographed by Harry Glicken from the ridge where the Coldwater II observation post occupied by Johnston was located
Mount St. Helens four months after the eruption, photographed by Harry Glicken from approximately the same location as the previous photo. In the intervening period, the volcano had erupted, killing Johnston and approximately 60 others, devastating the landscape.
Johnston's Coldwater II observation post was in the path of the blast when the north side of Mount St. Helens collapsed.About this person
A principal scientist on the USGS monitoring team, Johnston was killed in the eruption while manning an observation post six miles (10 km) away on the morning of May 18, 1980. He was the first to report the eruption, transmitting "Vancouver! Vancouver! This is it!" before he was swept away by a lateral blast; despite a thorough search, Johnston's body was never found, but state highway workers discovered remnants of his USGS trailer in 1993.
