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Historical video footage of Mount St. Helens volcano - 1981

Metadata Updated: November 20, 2025

This data release contains digital video files from the USGS of Mount St. Helens volcano in the months leading up to the cataclysmic eruption on May 18, 1980 as well as the first two years of the eruption. Original videos were collected on an assortment of cameras and film types, including 16 mm, 8 mm and Super 8 mm during USGS field campaigns on the ground as well as from the air and on time-lapse camera stations setup around the volcano. Videos capture USGS crews collecting data as well as an assortment of volcanic processes, including dome growth, ash emissions, rockslides, and pyroclastic flows. These film records represent a tremendous resource to the volcanology community as they represent visual recordings of a truly remarkable event in history. The analog film reels were digitized through funding from the USGS National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program (NGGDPP) to reduce the risk of data loss and to make these visual recordings accessible and available in a modern digital format. Video clips are organized into 4 sections: March 28-May 17, 1980; May 18-Dec 31, 1980; 1981; 1982. Each video is labeled by YYYY_MM_DD_USGS and categorized by either FW = fieldwork, TL = timelapse, or MISC = miscellaneous.

Access & Use Information

Public: This dataset is intended for public access and use. License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

Downloads & Resources

Dates

Metadata Created Date September 13, 2025
Metadata Updated Date November 20, 2025

Metadata Source

Harvested from DOI USGS DCAT-US

Additional Metadata

Resource Type Dataset
Metadata Created Date September 13, 2025
Metadata Updated Date November 20, 2025
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Maintainer
Identifier http://datainventory.doi.gov/id/dataset/usgs-609077dbd34e791692de543f
Data Last Modified 2022-05-05T00:00:00Z
Category geospatial
Public Access Level public
Bureau Code 010:12
Metadata Context https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.jsonld
Metadata Catalog ID https://ddi.doi.gov/usgs-data.json
Schema Version https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema
Catalog Describedby https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.json
Harvest Object Id 3ca246cd-0a7a-4dbb-9248-a0798696c8d6
Harvest Source Id 2b80d118-ab3a-48ba-bd93-996bbacefac2
Harvest Source Title DOI USGS DCAT-US
Metadata Type geospatial
Source Datajson Identifier True
Source Hash f3c0993152dd00e3ec9271ec4b028903fd56ca3a6423b5cfd665c20a63ad866a
Source Schema Version 1.1

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