David A. Johnston

David A. Johnston

1949-12-18 – 1980-05-18 (age 30) Chicago, Illinois, USA

Biography

David Alexander Johnston (December 18, 1949 – May 18, 1980) 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. 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.

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Photos

Known For

Surviving the Mount St. Helens Disaster
Surviving the Mount St. Helens Disaster

2020

as Self (archive footage)

Mount St Helens: Minute by Minute
Mount St Helens: Minute by Minute

2025

as Self (archive footage)