Was the Video of Mount St. Helens Collapsing Animated Using AI?
A video titled “The Mountain Disappeared in Seconds” is circulating on social media, showing a massive mountainside collapsing as a cloud of dust fills the sky. Some users are presenting the footage as a historical video recording.
Fact-check: The event was real, but some versions of the circulating video have been processed using artificial intelligence. The 1980 volcanic eruption is documented in historical sources. However, it is important not to confuse a video created by animating historical photographs with continuous archival footage.
When did the event happen?
On May 18, 1980, at 8:32 a.m. local time, Mount St. Helens in Washington State, USA, erupted catastrophically following a magnitude 5.1 earthquake. The volcano’s northern flank collapsed in a massive landslide. The event is recognized as one of the largest landslides in recorded history.
How was AI used in the video?
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) holds a series of historical photographs taken by photographer Gary Rosenquist, documenting the landslide and the subsequent explosion.
In the versions circulating on social media that feature smooth motion, the movements between photographs may have been generated using artificial intelligence or other digital editing techniques. These technologies can create new intermediate frames between existing images, making a sequence of photographs look like continuous video footage.
As a result, the collapse appears smoother and more realistic. However, this does not mean that the intermediate frames were directly recorded by a camera at the time of the event. Confirming which specific AI tool was used would require access to the video’s original source.
At the same time, authentic film footage of the 1980 eruption also exists. USGS geologist Don Swanson filmed the eruption from an aircraft using a 16 mm motion-picture camera between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. that day. These recordings were later digitized.
Did the mountain really disappear?
No. The headline “The mountain completely disappeared” is exaggerated. As a result of the eruption, the volcano’s summit and northern section collapsed, reducing its height by approximately 400 meters. A massive crater formed where the collapse occurred.
The natural disaster that caused part of Mount St. Helens to collapse was a real historical event. However, the smooth-motion versions of the video circulating on social media may have been created by animating historical photographs using AI or other digital techniques.
Therefore, the event itself was real, but not every video depicting it is an original archival recording. To determine the origin of the footage, it is necessary to verify its source and the methods used to process it.
Verdict: Partly True.
The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens and the collapse of its mountainside were real historical events. However, some versions of the video circulating on social media may have been created by animating historical photographs using artificial intelligence or other digital methods. Therefore, it would be inaccurate to present them as entirely authentic archival video footage.
