How were amphibians affected by the eruption?
Amphibians were thought to be very sensitive to environmental change and, therefore, scientists expected to find most amphibians in the volcanic disturbance zones dead after the 1980 eruption. Scientists arriving shortly after the eruption were surprised to find most of the 15 species of frogs, toads, salamanders, and newts had actually survived in many locations throughout the blast area. The scientists determined that all the surviving species were associated with water for some portion of their life history (egg, larval, or adult stages), whereas the species not surviving lived their entire lives on land. The 1980 eruption was on May 18, which is late winter in the Cascade Range. Most lakes around Mount St. Helens were still frozen and much of the high-elevation country was covered with snow, two factors which protected many amphibians. In addition, some amphibians spend most of their life beneath the ground where soil protects them. However, an important question remained. Would th