Environment Ecology -> The Most Dangerous Volcanoes of the XXI Century -> Mount Rainier

Mount Rainier is a stratovolcano in Pierce County, Washington, located 54 miles (87 km) southeast of Seattle, Washington, United States. It is part of the Volcanic Arc Cascade and the highest peak in the Cascade mountains having 14,410 feet (4392 meters). The mountain and the surrounding area are enclosed within the National Park Mount Rainier. With 26 major glaciers, Mount Rainier is the most heavily iced peak in the lower 48 states with 35 square miles (91 sq. km.) There is permanent snow and glacier valleys. The top is crowned by two volcanic craters, each over 1000 feet (300 m) in diameter with a large east crater overlapping the west crater. Geothermal heat keeps the volcano crater rim area and it is free of snow and ice and forms an extensive network of glacier caves within the ice-filled craters. A small crater lake, the highest in North America, occupies the lowest part of the western crater lower than 160 feet (50 meters) of ice and it is available only through the cave.

Origin

Mount Rainier was originally known as Tatol, or Tahoma, meaning " the mother of waters. " It has a topographically prominence of 13,210 feet (4026 meters). This is a prominent feature of the southern landscape in the big Seattle metropolitan area. On clear days, it can also be seen even from Portland, Oregon, Victoria and British Columbia. Because of the dominance of the landscape, the residents of Seattle-area often refer to it simply as "The Mountain." The geological history of the earliest lava of the volcano of Mount Rainier is more than 840 000 years and the formation of the Lilies (2.9 million to 840,000 years ago). The early lava formed a "primary Rainier" or atavistic cone to the modern cone. There exists a cone more than 500 000 years. The volcano destroyed much ice on its slopes, and it seems, is made mostly of andesite. In the past, Rainier had a large debris avalanche, and also produced huge debris flows (volcanic debris) from the large amount of ice. Its debris flows reached the Puget Sound. Approximately 5000 years ago, a large chunk of the volcano moved away, and that debris avalanche helped to create the massive Osceola Mudflow, which came fully into the site of modern Tacoma and South Seattle. This massive avalanche of rock and ice left on the surface of 1600 feet (500 m), Mount Rainier, knocking to the height of approximately 14 100 feet (4300 meters). Approximately 530 - 550 years ago, there was Electron Mudflow, although it was not as large as the Osceola Mudflow. After the collapse of the main 5000 years ago, following the eruption of lava and created a modern cone vertex only about 1000 years ago. A new volcanic eruption was recorded between 1820 and 1854, but many witnesses have reported volcanic activities in 1858, 1870, 1879, 1882 and 1894 as well. For 2007, there is no imminent risk of eruption, but geologists expect the volcano will break out again. Mudslides from Rainier pose a greater risk to life and property, as many communities are at the top of deposits of debris flows. Not only does a lot of ice on top of the volcano, it is also slowly weakened by hydrothermal activity. According to Jeff Clayton, a geologist with RH2, repetition Osceola mudflow would destroy Enumkoav, Kent, and most or all of Renton. This rural could also reach the bottom of the mouth and destroy Dumamish of the downtown Seattle, and cause a tsunami in Puget Sound and Lake Washington. Rainier is also capable of producing pyroclastic flows and lava. At the time of European contact, river valleys and other areas near the mountains were inhabited by many Pacific Northwest tribes who hunted and gathered berries in the meadows, mountains and forests. These included the Nisqually, Cowlitz, Yakama, Puyallup, and Muckleshoot.

History

Captain George Vancouver reached Puget Sound in 1792 and became the first European to see the Mountain. He named it in honor of his friend, Rear Admiral Peter Reynira. In 1833, Dr. William Fraser Tholme researched the area in search of medicinal plants. He was accompanied by other researchers. Hazard Stevens and Van Trump received a hero on the streets of Olympia after their successful ascent to the summit in 1870. John Muir climbed Mount Rainier in 1888, and although he enjoyed the view, he acknowledged that it can best be estimated from below. Muir was one of many who advocated for the protection of the mountain. In 1893, the area has been identified as part of the Pacific Forest Reserve to protect its physical and economic resources: timber and watersheds. Because of the need to safeguard the landscape and provide for the public interest, railroads, and local businesses, created a national park in the hope of increasing the flow of tourists. On March 2, 1899 President William McKinley of the National Park, correlated Mount Rainier National Park as the fifth of America. The Congress dedicated the new park "benefit and enjoyment of the common people, ... to save from destruction or capture of all the timber, mineral deposits within the park, and conservation in the wild." Wiz Mount Rainier: The dome of Liberty, Columbia Crest and Peak of Success . The broad peak of Mount Rainier contains three named peaks. The highest is called :Comb from Columbia. The second highest peak - Point of Success, 14 158 ft (4315 m), on the southern edge of the plateau tops - a mountain range known as the Cleaver Success. It is topographically a prominence of about 138 feet (42 m), so it is not considered a separate peak. The lowest of these three peaks is the Dome of Liberty, 14 112 feet (4301 m), north-western edge, which holds Liberty Ridge, Sunset Amphitheater and significant Willis Wall. The dome of Liberty has an outstanding position 492 feet (150 m), and should be considered a separate peak according to the rules based on the position. However, it is usually not considered a separate peak due to the massive size of Mount Rainier, which is about 492-feet. High on the eastern flank of Mount Rainier is a peak known as Little Tahoma, 11,138 feet (3395 m), much higher above the volcano Mount Rainier. It has an outstanding position of 858 feet (262 m), and it is almost never raised in direct connection with a crest of Colombia, so it is usually considered a separate peak.

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Maps of Mount Rainier