what are the major volcanoes in the cascade range

By volume, the two largest Cascade volcanoes

are the broad shields of Medicine Lake Volcano and Newberry Volcano, which are about 145 cubic miles (600 km 3) and 108 cubic miles (450 km 3) respectively. Glacier Peak is the only Cascade volcano that is made exclusively of dacite. Lassen Peak and Devastated Area from Cinder Cone

Full Answer

What are the two largest volcanoes in the Cascade Range?

By volume, the two largest Cascade volcanoes are the broad shields of Medicine Lake Volcano and Newberry Volcano, which are about 145 mi³ (600 km³) and 108 mi³ (450 km³) respectively. Mount Garibaldi and Glacier Peak are the only two Cascade volcanoes that are made exclusively of dacite.

What type of plate tectonics is the Cascade Range?

Geology of the Cascade Range-related plate tectonics. The Cascade Range is made up of a band of thousands of very small, short-lived volcanoes that have built a platform of lava and volcanic debris. Rising above this volcanic platform are a few strikingly large volcanoes, like Mount Hood and Mount St. Helens, that dominate the landscape.

Where are the Cascades?

The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades , and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades .

What is the highest peak in the Cascades?

The highest peak in the range is Mount Rainier in Washington at 14,411 feet (4,392 m). ... The highest volcanoes of the Cascades, known as the High Cascades, dominate their surroundings, often standing twice the height of the nearby mountains.

What are the five major volcanoes in the Cascade Range?

Washington State is home to five active volcanoes located in the Cascade Range, east of Seattle: Mt. Baker, Glacier Peak, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams and Mt.

Which 4 volcanoes in the Cascades are the most active?

By far the most active and best known of the Cascades volcanoes is Mount St Helens - a stratovolcano in Washington state. The most recent eruption was in 1980 - a major eruption classified as VEI 5. The VEI is the Volcanic Explosivity Index.

What is a Cascade Range volcano?

Active volcanoes dominate the skyline of the Pacific Northwest. Cascade Range Volcanoes (Public domain.) The familiar snow-clad peaks of the Cascade Range are part of a 1,300 km (800 mi) chain of volcanoes, which extends from northern California to southern British Columbia.

What are the two active volcanoes in the Cascade Range?

Twelve volcanoes in the arc are over 10,000 feet (3,000 m) in elevation, and the two highest, Mount Rainier and Mount Shasta, exceed 14,000 feet (4,300 m).

What is the oldest volcano in the Cascades?

Mount Rainier's current volcanic cone began building around 500,000 years ago.

How many volcanoes are in the Cascade Mountains?

The Cascade Arc includes nearly 20 major volcanoes, among a total of over 4,000 separate volcanic vents including numerous stratovolcanoes, shield volcanoes, lava domes, and cinder cones, along with a few isolated examples of rarer volcanic forms such as tuyas.

Do the Cascade Mountains have volcanoes?

Only one volcano in the Cascades has experienced an eruption in the past 100 years. This week marks the 100th anniversary of the eruption of California's Lassen Peak. As the anniversary slides past, it leaves Mount St. Helens as the only Cascade Range volcano that has erupted over the last century.

Which Cascade volcano is most likely to erupt?

Given its restless nature, geologists say Mount St. Helens is the odds-on favorite to erupt next. But six other Cascade volcanoes have been active in the past 300 years, including steam eruptions at Glacier Peak and Mount Rainier and a 1915 blast at Mount Lassen, in California, that destroyed nearby ranches.

Why do the Cascade volcanoes exist?

The Cascade volcanoes were formed during the collision between the west moving North American plate and the east moving Juan de Fuca plate along the subduction zone that forms the boundary between the two plates.

Will Mount Rainier destroy Seattle?

Mt. Rainier would be able to produce the same if not more tephra. The largest threat tephra imposes is the potential to contaminate Seattle's drinking water, and maybe cave in a few roofs. Mt Rainier has the potential to inflict some serious damage but Seattle may be just far enough from its reach.

How often do Cascade volcanoes erupt?

one to two per centuryEruptions in the Cascades have occurred at an average rate of one to two per century during the last 4,000 years. Future eruptions are certain. Learn more: Eruptions in the Cascade Range During the Past 4,000 Years.

Do the Cascade mountains have volcanoes?

Only one volcano in the Cascades has experienced an eruption in the past 100 years. This week marks the 100th anniversary of the eruption of California's Lassen Peak. As the anniversary slides past, it leaves Mount St. Helens as the only Cascade Range volcano that has erupted over the last century.

Is Mt St Helens active?

Mount St. Helens is the most active volcano in the contiguous United States, which makes it a fascinating place to study and learn about. Scientists receive many questions about the volcano.

Which Cascade volcano will erupt next?

Given its restless nature, geologists say Mount St. Helens is the odds-on favorite to erupt next. But six other Cascade volcanoes have been active in the past 300 years, including steam eruptions at Glacier Peak and Mount Rainier and a 1915 blast at Mount Lassen, in California, that destroyed nearby ranches.

Is Mount Rainier an active volcano?

Mount Rainier is an episodically active composite volcano, also called a stratovolcano. Volcanic activity began between one half and one million years ago, with the most recent eruption cycle ending about 1,000 years ago.

What is the Cascade Range?

The Cascade Range is a part of the American Cordillera, a nearly continuous chain of mountain ranges (cordillera) that form the western "backbone" of North America, Central America, and South America .

Where are the Cascades located?

The Cascades extend northward from Lassen Peak (also known as Mount Lassen) in northern California to the confluence of the Nicola and Thompson rivers in British Columbia. The Fraser River separates the Cascades from the Coast Mountains in Canada, as does the Willamette Valley from the upper portion of the Oregon Coast Range. The highest volcanoes of the Cascades, known as the High Cascades, dominate their surroundings, often standing twice the height of the nearby mountains. They often have a visual height (height above nearby crestlines) of one mile or more. The highest peaks, such as the 14,411-foot (4,392 m) Mount Rainier, dominate their surroundings for 50 to 100 miles (80 to 161 km).

What are the Cascades?

The Cascades are part of the Pacific Ocean 's Ring of Fire, the ring of volcanoes and associated mountains around the Pacific Ocean. All of the eruptions in the contiguous United States over the last 200 years have been from Cascade volcanoes. The two most recent were Lassen Peak from 1914 to 1921 and a major eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980. Minor eruptions of Mount St. Helens have also occurred since, most recently from 2004 to 2008. The Cascade Range is a part of the American Cordillera, a nearly continuous chain of mountain ranges (cordillera) that form the western "backbone" of North America, Central America, and South America .

How tall is Mount Rainier?

term, as in North Cascades National Park. The highest peak in the range is Mount Rainier in Washington at 14,411 feet (4,392 m).

What are the states in the Cascades?

Provinces/States. British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California. The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, ...

What were the names of the mountains that George Vancouver explored?

In early 1792, British navigator George Vancouver explored Puget Sound and gave English names to the high mountains he saw. Mount Baker was named for Vancouver's third lieutenant, Joseph Baker, although the first European to see it was Manuel Quimper, who named it la gran montaña del Carmelo ("Great Mount Carmel ") in 1790. Mount Rainier was named after Admiral Peter Rainier. Later in 1792, Vancouver had his lieutenant William Robert Broughton explore the lower Columbia River. He named Mount Hood after Lord Samuel Hood, an admiral of the Royal Navy. Mount St. Helens was sighted by Vancouver in May 1792, from near the mouth of the Columbia River. It was named for Alleyne FitzHerbert, 1st Baron St Helens, a British diplomat. Vancouver's expedition did not, however, name the mountain range which contained these peaks. He referred to it simply as the "eastern snowy range". Earlier Spanish explorers called it Sierra Nevada, meaning "snowy mountains".

What is the Columbia Gorge?

The Columbia Gorge marks where the Columbia River splits the Cascade Range between the states of Washington and Oregon. Beyond the eastern foothills is an arid plateau that was largely created 17 to 14 million years ago by the many flows of the Columbia River Basalt Group.

How many volcanoes are there in the Cascade Arc?

The Cascade Arc includes nearly 20 major volcanoes, among a total of over 4,000 separate volcanic vents including numerous stratovolcanoes, shield volcanoes, lava domes, and cinder cones, along with a few isolated examples of rarer volcanic forms such as tuyas. Volcanism in the arc began about 37 million years ago, however, ...

Where are the lavas in the Cascades?

Lavas representing the earliest stage in the development of the Cascade Volcanic Arc mostly crop out south of the North Cascades proper , where uplift of the Cascade Range has been less, and a thicker blanket of Cascade Arc volcanic rocks has been preserved.

How old are the Cascadia volcanoes?

Map of the Cascadia Volcanic Arc. volcanoes are less than 2,000,000 years old, and the highest peaks are less than 100,000 years old. Twelve volcanoes in the arc are over 10,000 ft (3,000 m) in elevation, and the two highest, Mount Rainier and Mount Shasta, exceed 14,000 ft (4,300 m). By volume, the two largest Cascade volcanoes are ...

What volcanoes are in the Pacific Ring of Fire?

The Cascade Volcanoes are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, the ring of volcanoes and associated mountains around the Pacific Ocean. All of the known historic eruptions in the contiguous United States have been from the Cascade Vol canoes. Two most recent were Lassen Peak in 1914 to 1921 and a major eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980. It is also the site of Canada’s most recent major eruption about 2,350 years ago at the Mount Meager volcanic complex.

How old are the plutons in the Cascade Arc?

Individual plutons range in age from about 35 million years old to 2.5 million years old.

What are the dangers of the Cascade volcanoes?

Because the population of the Pacific Northwest is rapidly increasing, the Cascade volcanoes are some of the most dangerous, due to their past eruptive history, potential eruptions and because they are underlain by weak, hydrothermally altered volcanic rocks that are susceptible to failure. Mount Rainier is one of the Decade Volcanoes due to the danger it poses to Seattle and Tacoma. Many large, long-runout landslides originating on Cascade volcanoes have inundated valleys tens of kilometers from their sources, and some of the inundated areas now support large populations.

What type of volcanoes are in the volcanic belt?

Volcanoes within the volcanic belt are mostly stratovolcanoes along with the rest of the arc, but also include calderas, cinder cones, and small isolated lava masses. The eruption styles within the belt range from effusive to explosive, with compositions from basalt to rhyolite.

How many cascade volcanoes have erupted?

Seven Cascade volcanoes have erupted since the beginning of the eighteenth century. Some of those eruptions would have caused considerable property damage, economic disruption, and loss of life if they had occurred today without warning: Mount Baker– 1843, steam blast, ash fall, debris avalanche.

What is the Cascade Range?

The familiar snow-clad peaks of the Cascade Range are part of a 1,300 km (800 mi) chain of volcanoes, which extends from northern California to southern British Columbia. The volcanoes are the result of the slow slide of dense oceanic crust as it sinks beneath North America ( subduction ), which releases water and melts overlying rock.

What is the National Volcanic Threat Assessment?

National volcanic threat assessment identifies risks to populated areas. Volcanic threat is the combination of hazards (the dangerous or destructive natural phenomena produced by a volcano) and exposure (the people and property at risk from the volcanic phenomena).

Where is Mount Hood?

Mount Hood dominates the skyline outside of Portland, Oregon on a clear day. An major eruption of Mount Hood would pose a great hazard to the regional economy.

Will cascade volcanoes erupt again?

Cascade volcanoes have erupted in the recent past and will erupt again. The time between eruptions is usually measured in decades or centuries, so eruptions are not a part of our everyday experience.

Where is the Cascade volcano?

It's mention worthy to note that the Cascade Volcanic Arc extends beyond the official border of the Cascade Range. According to Beckey, the northern border of the Cascade mountain range is defined by the Fraser River. Interestingly, the Cascade Volcanic Chain extends well beyond that into the Coastal Range, north of Vancouver Island. See this photo . The Tacoma Mountaineers were not incorrect when they included Garibaldi in their Cascade Volcanoes list. This page should probably include the Garibaldi page and any other volcanic remnants in Southern BC or the name should be changed to "Volcanoes of the Cascade Range".

Why are the Cascade Volcanoes so popular?

The main reason being that many of them are solitary giants visible from metropolitan areas. But there are many other, lesser known and hidden peaks that await the intrepid climber. The singular grandeur, deep green forests, and stupendous amounts of snowfall make for a climbing experience that is unique to the world. There is one huge caveat to climbing the Cascade Volcanoes: the quality of the rock. Seldom is heard a climber raving about the high quality rock found, and nary a traveling climber wishes to visit this range to sample the 'bullet' 'bombproof' 'solid' stone. This page is organized from a climbers point of view, not that of a geologist. However, the geology affects the types of climbing found, so they have been grouped semi-arbitrarily into 3 categories based on the primary types of volcanoes, and the types of climbing found as a result. Glaciated Composite Peaks Shields and Plugs Buttes and Cones

How high is the shield volcano?

Elevation: 7,000 to 10,000 feet. Climbing: The Shield volcanoes make for more gentle hikes than the bigger composites, and often make ideal ski trips. The plugs are an attraction, as their form appeals to the climber, and the quality of rock is better than elsewhere.

What are shield volcanoes?

Shield volcanoes are formed from more runny lava, and are broad and lower than composites. Plugs can be shield volcanoes, but what sets them apart is the erosion of the surrounding layers.

What are the most difficult mountain peaks to climb?

Examples of easier climbs: Mount Adams South Spur South Sister, South Spur Examples of more difficult climbs: Liberty Ridge, Mount Rainier Weather: These big peaks often create their own weather, with white-outs and snowstorms, while surrounding areas are clear. Conversely, the summits can often be in sunshine, while the surrounding lowlands are under low clouds and rain. Because of the close proximity to the Pacific Ocean and the jet stream, these peaks continue to break world snowfall records, with Mount Baker and Mount Rainier contending for first place. The Emmons glacier on Mt. Rainier is thicker than that of the Khumbu on Everest. List from North to South: Mount Baker Glacier Peak Mount Rainier Mount Adams Mt. Saint Helens Mount Hood Mount Jefferson North Sister Middle Sister South Sister Mt. McLoughlin Mount Shasta Shastina Lassen Peak

Why are higher elevation peaks so popular?

Higher elevation peaks are famous for their skiing routes. The main draw of these peaks is their ease of access, and that they 'stand out' from the surrounding landscape. Weather: Summers ascents can be baking hot, especially for peaks well east of the Pacific Crest.

Overview

Major catastrophic eruptions

Geology

Human history

Cascadia subduction zone

List of volcanoes

See also

External links