David A. Johnston

David Alexander Johnston (December 18, 1949 – May 18, 1980) was an American USGS volcanologist. He was killed by the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington. He was a principal scientist on the USGS monitoring team,[1]

David A. Johnston
Dave Johnston with gas-detection instrument at Mount St. Helens, 4 April 1980 (USGS) 2 (cropped).jpg
Johnston at Mount St. Helens in April 1980
Born
David Alexander Johnston

December 18, 1949
Chicago, Illinois, United States
DiedMay 18, 1980 (aged 30)
Cause of deathKilled by the volcanic eruption of Mount St. Helens

Johnston was killed in the eruption while observing the 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.[2]

David A. Johnston Media

References