Latest Pleistocene to present geology of Mount Baker Volcano, northern Cascade Range, Washington (original) (raw)
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Abstract
Mount Baker is the prominent andesitic stratocone that forms the youngest volcanic center in the Mount Baker volcanic field. Its heavily glaciated cone, rising to 3,286 meters, is an international landmark, dominating the skyline of Vancouver, British Columbia, even though the volcano is located 25 kilometers south of the international border. Mount Baker caught the attention of scientists and the public alike in 1975–76 during a period of increased steaming, thermal output, and near-vent lithic tephra falls. Although a magmatic eruption did not ensue, it awoke the populace to the possibility of renewed volcanic activity in the Cascade Range (the first since the 1914–17 eruptions of Lassen Peak, Calif.)—a possibility fulfilled just five short years later with the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in southwest Washington. The 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption, with its dramatic edifice collapse, extraordinary pyroclastic density current, and catastrophic lahars, invigorated the scientific community into studying these then little-known processes. It also highlighted the need to better understand eruptive histories at other Cascade Range volcanoes in order to prepare for future eruptions.
The 1975 unrest also spawned one of the earliest volcano hazard assessments in the Cascade Range, which recognized the rich history of postglacial events at Mount Baker and identified the risk posed by volcanic mudflows, or lahars. The focus of this study is to more fully describe the late-glacial to present surficial geology, to better constrain the timing of events (including 19th-century floods), and to dovetail this history with Hildreth and others’ (2003) bedrock study.
Suggested Citation
Scott, K.M., Tucker, D.S., Riedel, J.L., Gardner, C.A., and McGeehin, J.P., 2020, Latest Pleistocene to present geology of Mount Baker Volcano, northern Cascade Range, Washington: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1865, 170 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/pp1865.
ISSN: 2330-7102 (online)
Study Area
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Chapter A. Summary
- Chapter B. Introduction
- Chapter C. Glaciers and Mount Baker
- Chapter D. Glacial Lakes Concrete and Baker
- Chapter E. Latest Pleistocene Assemblages of Lava Flows and Fragmental Deposits
- Chapter F. Latest Pleistocene to Present Tephras and the Early Holocene Sulphur Creek Lava Flow
- Chapter G. Holocene Syneruptive Lahars and Noneruptive Debris Flows
- Chapter H. Postglacial Eruptive Periods and Implications for Future Hazards
- References Cited
- Appendixes 1–9
Additional publication details
Publication type | Report |
---|---|
Publication Subtype | USGS Numbered Series |
Title | Latest Pleistocene to present geology of Mount Baker Volcano, northern Cascade Range, Washington |
Series title | Professional Paper |
Series number | 1865 |
DOI | 10.3133/pp1865 |
Year Published | 2020 |
Language | English |
Publisher | U.S. Geological Survey |
Publisher location | Reston, VA |
Contributing office(s) | Volcano Science Center |
Description | xi, 170 p. |
Country | United States |
State | Washington |
Other Geospatial | Mount Baker |
Online Only (Y/N) | Y |
Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |