This issue of TsuInfo includes articles on: Dedication of the nation’s first tsunami vertical evacuation structure New outreach products from the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration First ever world Tsunami Awareness Day set to debut in November Also featured are tsunami project updates, news, newly published research, and […]
Tag: hazard
Landslide Hazard Geologists at Work
Last month, landslide hazard geologists from the DNR Division of Geology and Earth Resources (DGER) attended a landslide conference hosted by the U.S. Geologic Survey (USGS) and Indonesian Center for Volcanic and Geologic Hazard Mapping at the Cascades Volcano Observatory in Vancouver, Washington. To promote greater cooperation among state and federal agencies, and reduce potential landslide losses, the […]
Volcano Profile: Mount Adams
Location: Yakima County, WA Elevation: 3,742 m (12,277 ft) GEOLOGY Mount Adams is volumetrically the largest volcano in the Pacific Northwest. It is actually a cluster of volcanic vents that erupted andesitic lava from the vent cluster rather than a single vent. The Mount Adams system is one of the youngest in the Cascade Range and is […]
Meet our New Landslide Hazards Program
Washington’s widely varying climate and topography along with complex geology creates many areas that are prone to landslides. Identifying past landslides is the best way to identify future landslide hazards. After the devastating SR530 “Oso” Landslide in March 2014, the state legislature recognized the need for a greater emphasis on landslide mapping. Resources were allocated to […]
Volcano Profile: Glacier Peak
Location: Snohomish County, WA Elevation: 3,213 m (10,541 ft) Nearby towns: Darrington GEOLOGY Sitting relatively low on the skyline, Glacier Peak is mostly hidden from Puget Lowland residents, yet it is one of the more dangerous of the Cascade volcanoes. The volcano frequently and explosively produces dacite lava flows, tephra (ash) and far-reaching lahars (volcanic mudflows). Geologic […]
Volcano Profile: Mount St. Helens
Location: Skamania County, WA Elevation: 2,549 m (8,363 ft) Nearby towns: Castle Rock, Olympia, Vancouver, Portland (OR) GEOLOGY Mount St. Helens produces dacitic to andesitic lava flows, pumice, and lahars. Like Glacier Peak, the composition of its magma makes it erupt more explosively than other Cascade volcanoes that erupt andesitic lava. The areas prone to […]
The Ring Of Fire
Volcanoes usually form at the boundaries of tectonic plates (where the Earth’s crust moves apart or collides). The Ring of Fire is a 25,000-mile long horseshoe-shaped “ring” that circles the Pacific Ocean. It is called the Ring of Fire because that is where most of Earth’s volcanoes are found. The Ring of Fire is also […]
Volcano Profile: Mount Baker
Location: Whatcom County, Washington Elevation: 3,286 m; 10,781 ft Nearby Towns: Glacier, Concrete GEOLOGY Mount Baker produces andesitic lava flows, pumice, and lahars.The areas prone to lahars are determined in part by figuring out where lahars traveled in the past. Evidence of massive lahars is still abundant in many of the valleys that drain Mount Baker. The […]
Volcano Profile: Mount Rainier
Location: Pierce County, WA Elevation: 4,392 m; 14,410 ft Nearby towns: Orting, Seattle, Tacoma, Yakima Geology Mount Rainier produces andesitic and dacitic lava flows, pumice, and lahars. The areas prone to lahars are determined in part by figuring out where lahars traveled in the past. Evidence of massive lahars is still abundant in many of the […]
Types of Volcanoes
Are all volcanoes alike? While many people think of a volcano as cone-shaped mountain that spits red hot lava and has a plume of ash like the one shown below, in fact, there are multiple types of volcanoes. The shape, size, and lifespan of a volcano depends on its location (under the ocean, at a […]