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 […]

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 […]

Hot Out of the Mantle…

Today, DGER brings you three new volcano-related resources: Volcano hazards are now on our portal and available in GIS format We have a new volcanoes webpage — you’ll lava it! We’ve just released a series of posters for Volcano Preparedness Month. Portal Update A new layer is now available on our Geologic Information Portal. The […]

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 […]

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 […]

May is Volcano Preparedness Month

May is Volcano Preparedness Month, and to prepare we will bring you a different volcano profile each week and provide information on how to prepare for any emergency. Preparing today could save you and your family during the next eruptive event. Washington has five major volcanoes: Mount Baker, Glacier Peak, Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, and Mount Adams. […]