Are The Cascades Waking Up?

PNSN ^ | 28 Apr 02 | Self

[11B3]

Are Some of The Cascades Waking Up?

I apologize for the vanity post, but things around Mt Rainier seem a little different as of late. When visible, there have been some obvious rock-slides as well as some odd looking releases of gases. This all started back in June, when Mt Rainier had a mud flow - there has been seismic activity almost constantly since then. Unfortunately, the official monitoring sites are all very quiet about this - none of them want to mention this activity.

During November of last year, Mt St Helens showed a swarm of earthquakes under the lava dome. This swarm was considered to be enough of an event to archive the seismograph records for instructional use, yet these swarms were almost insignificant in comparison to the current activity at Mt Rainier. What I'm hoping is that there are a few geophysicists here that can evaluate the seismographic records from the region and tell me the truth about what is going on under the mountain right now. If you go to the link above, you will see the current (as this was written) seismograph for one of the Mt Rainier monitoring stations. By clicking on the other stations above the graph you can check other locations in the Cascade Range. Some appear to be the output of a dead person's heart monitor, while others are nothing but a sea of ink. Normally during this time of year, I would contribute much of this activity to glacial movement and other spring break up - but the freezing level has been far below the monitoring stations that have been so active. Actually, they've been active all winter.

When you consider that over a million people live in the shadow of Mt Rainier, the authorities have a vested interest in keeping us from worry about the mountain. But some of us would like to hear the true facts - because if these charts are showing the movement of magma as it appears, then we're looking at the possibility of an eruption and the chance of a real catastrophy. I'm tired of the same old "Nothing to see here, move along" story - please check out the chart and let me know. Thank You.

[2sheep]

A little history:

 Mount Rainier Showing Signs of Possible Eruption
 Mt. Raineer Breaking
 Mt Ranier
 volcano (Mt. Ranier)
 Another American Volcano?
 Lurking beneath the earth is a potential explosion that could bury all of California
 Why volcano explode
 Volcanic bulge has town excited (Three Sisters, Oregon)
 Volcano Erupts on Ocean Floor Off Oregon Coast

[ken5050]

Interesting post to wake up to.....a few observations..

Everything I've read, as one who has no technical expertise in these matters..suggests that there is no definitive way to yet predict if indeed there wil be an eruption, let alone when..and geologic time is very slow.....even if most scientists came to a consensus that there would "soon" be an eruption..what could be done....a mass evacuation?...wouldn't happen....it's similar to the report, a few months ago, about a suposed suitcase nuke in NYC...releasing the report would be guaranteed to cause a panic, riots, and death...the scale of some events is beond our ability to deal with in advance...

On a "lighter note" (g).. are you familar with the theory of "supervolcanoes"..supposedly there's one under Yellowstone National Park..and the caldera is the size of the park..even bigger.....it supposedly goes off every 300,000 years or so..and we're due for one "any time now"..since the last time was some 300,00 years ago..

it's like the old idea to buy land in Las Vegas, because after the big quake hits California, it'll be waterfront property..

[2sheep]

 Scientists eye activity at Oregon volcano
 Inch by inch, Cascades bulge getting bigger
 Political Parties on Mt Rainier Eruption
 WA: Mt. Rainier Showing Signs Of Possible Eruption
 Another American Volcano?
 NOAA watching apparent underwater volcano off West Coast
 Volcano Erupts on Ocean Floor Off Oregon Coast
 VOLCANO HAZARDS FACT SHEET

[BullDog108]

I have also heard that there is a 20 square mile section of the Three Sisters in Oregon that has a magma dome uplifting it by about 6 to 12 inches.

[Mike Darancette]

I have also heard that there is a 20 square mile section of the Three Sisters in Oregon that has a magma dome uplifting it by about 6 to 12 inches.

Dome building activity is much more dangerous than seismic activity.

[willyone]

This has also been happening at Mammoth Lakes in the Sierras. Warning signs are posted not to sleep in low spots while camping since gases have been escaping that will suffocate you. There was or is a large bulge in the surface. When you consider that Lake Tahoe and Crater Lake were both formed by explosive eruptions you get some idea of the forces involved.

[Physicist]

I have also heard that there is a 20 square mile section of the Three Sisters in Oregon that has a magma dome uplifting it by about 6 to 12 inches.

They should be looking for spots that drop.

;^)

[Quix]

GREAT QUESTION AND POINT. I agree. I don't trust much about much of any govgt dept's press briefings any more.

[Quix]

Actually, supposedly the water front property will be Phoenix and Denver--Phoenix to be a new seaport, supposedly--though mostly per New Agey type characters. We shall see. Denver seems a bit harder to believe . . . Lots of high mountains to sink pretty low!

Sure wouldn't want to be downstream from Hoover Dam, though. And if Hoover and Glen Canyon both go--A lot of people are going to be trying to find sticks to rub together for fire for cooking. . . . IF they manage to reach dry land and dry out themselves!

[Straight Vermonter]

National Geographic did I great story about the Cascades and specifically Mt Ranier a year or 2 ago. They went into some detail about the evacuation plans etc. You should see if your local library has a copy it was a great story.

[Lokibob]

I'm not an expert, but the seismograph you showed looks like a problem in the equipment rather than actual quakes. I have seen it before in a couple of charts I watch. What tips me off is the regularity of the major bumps (3 mins after each 15 min trace). Mother nature would not do that so regular.

I'd check other seismographs in the area to see what they are doing.

[blam]

".....it supposedly goes off every 300,000 years or so..and we're due for one "any time now"..since the last time was some 300,00 years ago.."

Correction. The cycle is every 600,000 years.

However, it is at the end of a 600k year cycle and is due now. A rise in the land in that area has already been detected. The last time it erupted, it left six feet of ash in Nebraska. So....escape should be to the west/south/north....not east.

[blam]

When the Toba volcano blew 70,000 years ago, some estimates are that as few as 5,000 people worldwide survived. That's one of the causes of the human genetic bottleneck you may have heard the DNA folks talk about.

[blam]

TOBA

[BullDog108]

I remember when Mt St Helens went off in '80, at the same time I lived in June Lake (north of Mammoth). There was all kinds of earthquakes going off, and lots of geological folks in town setting up all their hi-tech toys to study the situation.

[Clara Lou]

and tell me the truth
I don't mean to be unkind, but this sounds like a tinfoil beanie crisis. There are so many people from various entities studying these volcanoes and earthquakes, that the government couldn't keep news about serious activity quiet if it wanted to-- too many university professors and grad students and students who would tell everything they know. Sheesh.

[ken5050]

Picky, picky.....so I was off by 300,000 years, = or - 10,000...big deal....(g)..and you're correct about the eruption spewing east..onto the Great Plains.......it's the volcanic deposits that make the land very fertile

[SamAdams76]

Are The Cascades waking up? They never went to sleep in the first place. Like other volcanos in the Cascades, Mt. Rainer is an active volcano and the question is not whether it will erupt, but when. Based on the seismic activity in the region, my guess is that it will be soon. How soon is soon? That I do not know and I doubt anybody else does either.

[Aric2000]

During the week I live up on the west side of the cascades, I can see Mount Ranier from top to bottom.

You can even tell the weather from mount Ranier, if she has a cap of clouds and the rest of the sky is clear, it will be cloudy and rainy the next day.

I have seen some slides on the west side of the mountain, pretty easy to see, and every once in a while a white cap will appear from the top of the mountain, as steam from inside escapes, or that is what I assume it's from.

Friends who have been up on the top of Mount Ranier tell me that there are hot springs on top of the mountain that make a great jacuzzi. She's active, and has always been active.

The best advice I can give you is this, look for the Volcano evacuation route signs on the streets, from your house follow them to the closest evacuation area so that you know the route and if it gets jammed you can find a way around. Also, make sure that you have enough emergency supplies for 2 weeks, including water. If you live on a high hill, and you have relatives in the valleys, make sure that they have routes and ideas of how to get to your house in case of a major eruption.

The only thing that you can do about an eruption, is be prepared to survive it. Because it is going to erupt whether you are prepared or not.