The town of Orting is built in the valley of Mount Rainer in western Washington. Located 30 miles from the volcano, Orting is built upon deposits of 500 year old lahar erupted from the volcano. Mount Rainier is an active stratovolcano of andesitic rock, located along the convergent plate boundary where the North American Plate and the Pacific Plate meet. Mount Rainier is the most prominent mountain in the contiguous United States and is approximately 500,000 years old (The Cardinal). Although Mount Rainier is considered to be an active volcano because of its lahar flow, it is currently in resting state. The last eruption of this massive volcano occurred more than 115 years ago in 1884.
The eruptions of Mount Rainier produce lahar mudflows which are similar to pyroclastic flows except they contain more water. These mudflows carry debris of volcanic ash and boulders that produce lava flows and have the consistency of concrete flowing down a mountain (C.M. Riley). Lahars can flow up to 100 kilometers per hour and can extend out to more than 300 kilometers in distance. Because they are hard to predict, give off little warning signs, and move so rapidly through valleys, lahar slides are considered to be one of the most deadly volcanic hazards.
Although volcanoes are difficult to predict, geologists have made many efforts in order to caution the people of Orting and other surrounding towns of possible lahar slides. Residents have been made aware of emergency response plans and they know the proper precautions to take in the case of a volcanic activity emergency. Sirens have been put into place by the fire department and governing bodies of surrounding communities that detect volcanic activity and warn the community of ...
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...d I compiled the final product of the PowerPoint which aided in the presentation that we delivered to the class.
Works Cited
"Mount Rainier Tallest Mountain in Contiguous United States." Online posting. The Cardinal. ArlingtonCardinal, 28 Sept. 2009. Web. 6 Feb. 2010. .
Wood and Kienle, 1990, Volcanoes of North America: United States and Canada: Cambridge University Press, 354 p., p. 158-160, Contribution by Patrick Pringle.
"Mount Rainier Introduction." National Park Services U.S. Department of Interior. Nps.gov, 27 Dec. 2004. Web. 6 Feb. 2010. .
Riley, C.M. "Lahars." Geological and Mining Engineering Sciences. Michigan Tech. Web. 6 Feb. 2010. .
Marshak, S. (2009) Essentials of Geology, 3rd ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, ch. 11, p. 298-320.
" National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, 26 Feb. 2014. Web. 14 Mar. 2014. “Yosemite National Park.”
In this report, I will be discussing the formations of tuff rings, tuff cones, and a variety of spectacular geologic features that can be seen in the Southern Oregon area (near Silver Lake); including Hole in the ground, Fort-Rock, and Table-Rock complexes. To begin, we will start with the background of how tuff rings and tuff cones are formed. Hydrovolcanic eruptions are some of the most violent spectacles, each generating hundreds, or even thousands, of explosions throughout the course of its eruption. Each eruption ejects a mixture of clasts, gas, and water droplets which either fall to the ground or evaporate into the atmosphere. These deposits build up rings of bedded tuff around the volcano’s vent, which in the long run, helps geologists to record the varieties of pyroclastic depositional mechanisms and important changes that occur to the feature with time. The basaltic deposits from the Hydrovolcanic eruptions which occurred in the Fort Rock-Christmas Valley Basin was also formerly the location of an intermittent, fluctuating, and wide-spread Pleistocene lake (fossil lake). Primarily basaltic volcanoes erupted in the center of what was once a lake basin, forming the maar-style volcanism that is prevalent in Southern Oregon, today.
On May 22, 1915, an explosive eruption at Lassen Peak devastated nearby areas and rained volcanic ash farther 200 miles to the east! This explosion was the most powerful in a series of eruptions from 1914 through 1917. ...
The first time I saw Mt. Rainier for myself, was last summer when my boyfriend and I drove to Washington. It was the most beautiful, peaceful looking mountain I have ever seen. However, underneath it's great beauty, it hides a deadly secret. Mt. Rainier is one of the most dangerous volcanoes that we have here in the United States. One of the reasons it is so dangerous is because of it's great beauty. People enjoy looking at it, and the area that surrounds it, so they have made their homes here. Mt Rainier is not the only volcano I am interested in, in fact this last summer I also went to Mt. St. Helens and Crater Lake. But it is the volcano I chose to research for this paper because it does have so much beauty and at the same time so much power. I already know the basics about volcanoes, how they form, the different types, etc., but I wanted to find out more about what would happen if this great volcano were to erupt, what type of eruption would it be, and how would it affect the people that live around it.
There are many beautiful places in this wonderful area of Oregon. In fact the whole basin was deemed a National Scenic Area. Besides the whole area there are two others natural areas that are very prominent. Among its many waterfalls Kalamath Falls is by far the most breathtaking. Not only can you enjoy the waterfall its self but also if you look hard enough you can see life happening all around you. If you travel up a lot higher you will see the natural trademark of the Pacific Northwest, Mt. Hood. With its 11,239 feet of beauty, what’s not to love? This amazing mountain is not only a natural area, but an area for recreation as well. From the river bellow to the mountains above the Columbia River Basin has a lot to offer.
Hussey, Russell C. Historical Geology: The Geologic History of North America. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1947. 379. Print
Mount Rainier is a national park located in in Washington. It became a national park on March 2, 1899 by President William McKinley. The terrain that you will find in Mount Rainier is 25 glaciers, snowfields, 9 watersheds, prehistory deposits, 382 lakes, 470 rivers, and 3,000 acres of other types of wetland. Out of Mount Rainier’s 236, 381 acres, 53% is forested, 23% is highland, and 19% is alpine-half vegetated and half permanent snow and ice. The kind of wildlife that you will find there are 65 mammal species, 182 bird species (many migrating in the winter), 14 native fish, 14 amphibian species, 5 reptile species, insects, worms, spiders, crustaceans. And Ealk and black bear are visible in the summer. Some interesting facts on Mount Rainier
MILLER, C. D. POTENTIAL HAZARDS FROM FUTURE ERUPTIONS IN THE VICINITY OF MOUNT SHASTAVOLCANO, NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. N.p.: US Government Printing Office, 1980. Print.
Boom! A once ice-capped mountain peak explodes as ash fills the air. “‘Vancouver, Vancouver, this is it!’”Those were the last words of expert geologist David Johnston (Gunn 561). In 1980, Mount Saint Helens of the state of Washington erupted, filling the air with ash and causing mudflows powerful enough to lift tons. It decimated everything in its path. The eruptions, mudflows, and ash caused great damage on the landscape, yet it gave us information on how catastrophes happen and how they affect society and the surrounding landscape. The data acquired can also help us understand the way the landscape was formed. Mount Saint Helens caused much damage, but also helped people understand the science behind it.
This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Geological Survey document: T.J. Stohlgren. "Rocky Mountains".
Stories about volcanoes are captivating. Myths come in different versions, but all of them are capable of capturing yours, and everybody’s imagination.
National Park Service and USGS. (2003). “Hot Water” in Lassen Volcanic National Park- Fumaroles, Streaming Ground, and Boiling Mudpots. Retrieved from: .
The forest is also the home of the state’s tallest peak, the 6,280’ Mount Washington. Mount Washington is the tallest peak in New England and is home to some of the worlds most dangerous weather. Washington, and the rest of the Whites, are cared for by the Appalachian Mountain Club. Founded in 1876, the AMC is the oldest conservation and recreation association in the U.S.. Today the organization has over 87,000 members worldwide. The AMC promotes “the protection, enjoyment, and the wise use of the mountains, rivers, and trails of the North-east.
Approximately 1 in 10 people in the world live within danger range of an active volcano