Geologists Fear Volcanic Mount Rainier is Due for Eruption

Some volcanoes remain dormant for hundreds, or thousands, of years. But that doesn’t mean they’re no longer able to erupt. And volcano experts are greatly concerned about the state of Washington’s Mount Rainier.   

It's a 14,441-foot stratovolcano. It hasn’t blown its top in at least 1,000 years. Yet some seismologists fear this may be due to occur. Perhaps within the century. If it did erupt, this could be disastrous. The mountain is close to regions with lots of people. For instance, Tacoma, Washington, is just 60 miles away.   

“Mount Rainier keeps me up at night,” volcanologist Jess Phoenix told CNN. It was during an episode of the network’s “Violent Earth With Liv Schreiber.” She said she worries because of the great threat to people living nearby. “Tacoma and South Seattle are built on 100-foot-thick (30.5-meter) ancient mudflows from eruptions of Mount Rainier.”  

At present, Mount Rainier ranks third on the US Geological Survey’s threat assessment list for volcanoes. Hawaii’s Mount Kilauea, which erupts about every few years, precedes it. So does Mount St. Helens. It killed 57 people when it blew in 1980. 

Rainier’s main threat doesn't come from its potential lava flow or blowing of volcanic ash, experts say. Rather, the threat comes from its lahar potential. A lahar is a swiftly flowing mixture of volcanic rock and water fed by melting ice and snow. It collects debris as it rushes downhill and into waterways. Rainier is Washington state’s tallest mountain. It has 26 glaciers. That's more than any other mountain in the coterminous US. 

In November 1985, Nevado del Ruiz in Colombia erupted. A lahar sparked just a couple hours later. It killed over 23,000 people 73 miles away.

Volcanologist Bradley Pitcher told CNN Rainier could “have a much more catastrophic mudflow.”   

Reflect: What steps can be taken to mitigate the risks of natural disasters in areas with high potential for such events?

Photo of Mt. Rainer from Wikimedia Commons courtesy of Walter Siegmund.