{"id":529844,"date":"2010-04-16T13:27:09","date_gmt":"2010-04-16T17:27:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/green.yahoo.com\/blog\/guest_bloggers\/5\/which-u-s-volcanoes-are-likely-to-erupt-next.html"},"modified":"2010-04-16T13:27:09","modified_gmt":"2010-04-16T17:27:09","slug":"which-u-s-volcanoes-are-likely-to-erupt-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/529844","title":{"rendered":"Which U.S. volcanoes are likely to erupt next?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"image\" style=\"float:left;padding-right:8px;\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Mount Rainier\" height=\"198\" src=\"http:\/\/a323.yahoofs.com\/ymg\/guest_bloggers\/guest_bloggers-883382715-1255386558.jpg?ym.GUCCD3n5deS3b\" width=\"350\"\/><br \/>\n<br \/><em>Mount Rainier, Washington (Photo: USGS)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--[if gte mso 9]> \n \n  \n \n--><!--[if gte mso 9]> \n \n  0\n  false\n  \n  \n  18 pt\n  18 pt\n  0\n  0\n  \n  false\n  false\n  false\n  \n   \n   \n   \n   \n  \n \n--><!--[if gte mso 9]> \n \n \n--><\/p>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<p><!--[if gte mso 10]>\n\n\n<style>\n\ntable.MsoNormalTable\n\t{\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nfont-size:12.0pt;\nfont-family:\"Times New Roman\";\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n}\n<\/style>\n\n\n--><\/p>\n<p>When a volcano in Iceland began pumping plumes<br \/>\nof ash over Europe this week, airlines across the continent went on high alert,<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.mnn.com\/earth-matters\/wilderness-resources\/stories\/growing-volcano-cloud-heightens-europe-air-travel-chaos\">canceling<br \/>\ntens of thousands of flights<\/a> and bringing air travel to a crawl. (See a<br \/>\ngallery of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mnn.com\/earth-matters\/wilderness-resources\/photos\/iceland-volcano-beautiful-images-of-a-natural-disaster\/aur\">amazing<br \/>\nphotos<\/a> from the eruption.) <\/p>\n<p>While the ash wasn&#8217;t always visible from the ground, the cancellations weren&#8217;t an overreaction: A volcano&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mnn.com\/earth-matters\/wilderness-resources\/stories\/why-volcanic-ash-poses-major-flight-hazard-to-airlines\">ash<br \/>\nclouds<\/a> can be one of its most dangerous features.<\/p>\n<p>That was made especially clear in December 1989,<br \/>\nwhen a Boeing 747 flew into an ash cloud unleashed by Mount Rebout in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mnn.com\/local-reports\/alaska\">Alaska<\/a>, causing all four of<br \/>\nits engines to lose power. The plane briefly plummeted toward the ground until<br \/>\nthe crew finally managed to restart its engines, averting a disaster. But the<br \/>\nevent served as a harrowing reminder &#8211; not only that the sky is no refuge from<br \/>\nvolcanoes, but also that many parts of the Western United States are within<br \/>\nrange of powerful volcanoes that could explode to life with little or no<br \/>\nwarning.<\/p>\n<p>As the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mnn.com\/earth-matters\/wilderness-resources\/stories\/iceland-volcano-the-best-photo-ever\">Fimmvorduhals<br \/>\nvolcano<\/a> in Iceland continues raging &#8211; and experts point out its last major<br \/>\neruption went on for two years, from 1821 to 1823 &#8211; the threat of volcanic<br \/>\neruptions has suddenly become a red-hot issue for people around the world.\n<\/p>\n<p>There are three main sections of the United States that tend to experience<br \/>\nvolcanic activity, and scientists believe many of the volcanoes there may be<br \/>\nabout due for a major eruption. Below is a brief look at six specific U.S. volcanoes that pose some of the<br \/>\nhighest risks. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Mount Rainier,<br \/>\nWashington <br \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The<br \/>\nhighest peak in the Cascade Range is also a volcano loaded with the <a href=\"http:\/\/vulcan.wr.usgs.gov\/Volcanoes\/Rainier\/Hazards\/OFR98-428\/framework.html\">most glacier ice<\/a> of any mountain in<br \/>\nthe contiguous United\u00a0States, which<br \/>\nwill complicate things whenever it does erupt because erupting through ice tends<br \/>\nto create <a href=\"http:\/\/volcanoes.usgs.gov\/images\/pglossary\/lahar.php\">lahars<\/a> (volcanic mud flows that form when hot<br \/>\ngas, rocks, and lava melt ice and churn up a superheated slurry). <\/p>\n<p>The<br \/>\nU.S. Geological Survey calls Mount Rainier &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/vulcan.wr.usgs.gov\/Volcanoes\/Rainier\/Hazards\/OFR98-428\/framework.html\">potentially the most dangerous<\/a><u><\/u>&#8221;<br \/>\nmainland U.S. volcano because in addition to all that ice, it <a href=\"http:\/\/vulcan.wr.usgs.gov\/Imgs\/Gif\/Rainier\/OFR95-642\/rainier_mudflows.gif\">looms<\/a> over the Seattle-Tacoma metro area<br \/>\nand its 3.2 million inhabitants. <\/p>\n<p>Mount Rainier&#8217;s potential volatility and its<br \/>\nproximity to large cities helped make it one of two U.S. <a href=\"http:\/\/vulcan.wr.usgs.gov\/Volcanoes\/DecadeVolcanoes\/framework.html\">Decade Volcanoes<\/a><u><\/u>, a group of 16 volcanoes<br \/>\nworldwide that U.N. delegates deemed especially dangerous to human populations.<br \/>\nIt last erupted in the 1840s, and larger<br \/>\neruptions occurred as recently as 1,000 and 2,300 years ago. It&#8217;s now<br \/>\nconsidered active but dormant. <\/p>\n<p>Still, it&#8217;s one of the most intensely monitored<br \/>\nvolcanoes in the United States due to the havoc it could wreak.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mauna Loa,<br \/>\nHawaii<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The<br \/>\nother U.S. Decade Volcano is also the largest volcano on the<br \/>\nplanet:\u00a0Hawaii&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/hvo.wr.usgs.gov\/maunaloa\/\">Mauna Loa<u><\/u><\/a>. Its <a href=\"http:\/\/hvo.wr.usgs.gov\/maunaloa\/history\/1984.html\">last eruption<\/a> was in 1984, when the lava<br \/>\nflow reached to <a href=\"http:\/\/hvo.wr.usgs.gov\/maunaloa\/hazards\/main.html\">within four miles<\/a>\u00a0<u><\/u>of Hilo, a city of more<br \/>\nthan 40,000. <\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s<br \/>\nan especially active volcano, having erupted 33 times in recorded history &#8212; the <a href=\"http:\/\/hvo.wr.usgs.gov\/maunaloa\/history\/historytable.html\">two largest<\/a><br \/>\nwere in 1950 and 1859, and one<br \/>\nin <a href=\"http:\/\/hvo.wr.usgs.gov\/maunaloa\/hazards\/main.html\">1880-81<\/a> covered land now in Hilo&#8217;s city<br \/>\nlimits. Like Mount Rainier, it&#8217;s also closely monitored, and <a href=\"http:\/\/hvo.wr.usgs.gov\/maunaloa\/history\/model.html\">one theory<\/a> suggests it&#8217;s currently at the<br \/>\nend of a 2,000-year cycle, with its summit lava flows poised to increase toward<br \/>\nthe northwest and southeast.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mount Saint<br \/>\nHelens, <\/strong><strong>Washington <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>About<br \/>\n50 miles south of Mount Rainier sits the shell of <a href=\"http:\/\/vulcan.wr.usgs.gov\/Volcanoes\/MSH\/description_msh.html\">Mount St. Helens<\/a>, the scene of one of the<br \/>\nworst volcanic eruptions in U.S. history, which took place on <a href=\"http:\/\/vulcan.wr.usgs.gov\/Volcanoes\/MSH\/May18\/description_may18_1980.html\">May 18, 1980<\/a>. <a href=\"http:\/\/vulcan.wr.usgs.gov\/Volcanoes\/MSH\/May18\/description_economic_impact.html\">Fifty-seven people<\/a> and thousands of<br \/>\nanimals were killed in all, and damages topped <a href=\"http:\/\/vulcan.wr.usgs.gov\/Volcanoes\/MSH\/May18\/description_economic_impact.html\">$1 billion<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Mount<br \/>\nSt. Helens <a href=\"http:\/\/vulcan.wr.usgs.gov\/Volcanoes\/MSH\/Eruption04\/Chronology\/DailyUpdates\/september_2004.html\">reawakened<\/a> in 2004, when four explosions<br \/>\nblasted steam and ash 10,000 feet above the crater. Lava continued gurgling out<br \/>\nand forming a dome on the crater floor until <a href=\"http:\/\/vulcan.wr.usgs.gov\/Volcanoes\/MSH\/Eruption04\/Monitoring\/July2008\/\">late January 2008<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Although it&#8217;s calmed<br \/>\ndown now, this remains an &#8220;active and dangerous&#8221; volcano, according to<br \/>\nthe USGS, and history shows it&#8217;s been <a href=\"http:\/\/vulcan.wr.usgs.gov\/Volcanoes\/MSH\/description_msh.html\">relatively active<\/a> since the Middle Ages,<br \/>\nincluding a blast in 1480 that was <a href=\"http:\/\/vulcan.wr.usgs.gov\/Volcanoes\/MSH\/Hazards\/OFR95-497\/framework.html\">five times stronger<\/a> than the 1980<br \/>\neruption.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mount Baker, <\/strong><strong>Washington <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>After<br \/>\nMount Rainier, <a href=\"http:\/\/vulcan.wr.usgs.gov\/Volcanoes\/Baker\/description_baker.html\">Mount Baker<\/a> is the most glaciated mountain<br \/>\nin the Cascades, supporting more ice than all the range&#8217;s other peaks combined,<br \/>\naside from Rainier. This means it presents many of the same mudslide dangers as<br \/>\nRainier, although 14,000 years of sediments show Baker to be less explosive and<br \/>\nless active than some other Cascade mountains. <\/p>\n<p>Baker<br \/>\ngave locals a scare in <u>1975<\/u> when it began emitting large amounts<br \/>\nof volcanic gases, and heat flows around the mountain increased <a href=\"http:\/\/vulcan.wr.usgs.gov\/Volcanoes\/Baker\/EruptiveHistory\/baker_brief_eruptive_history.html\">tenfold<\/a>, but the feared eruption never<br \/>\nhappened. The <a href=\"http:\/\/volcanoes.usgs.gov\/images\/pglossary\/fumarole.php\">fumarolic<\/a> activity still continues, but<br \/>\nthere&#8217;s no evidence it&#8217;s tied to the movement of magma, which signals an<br \/>\neruption may be imminent.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lassen Peak,<br \/>\nCalifornia<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The<br \/>\nsouthernmost active volcano in the Cascades, <a href=\"http:\/\/vulcan.wr.usgs.gov\/Volcanoes\/Lassen\/description_lassen.html\">Lassen Peak<\/a> has one of the most massive<br \/>\nlava domes on earth, totaling half a cubic mile. It&#8217;s the largest of more than<br \/>\n30 volcanic domes in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nps.gov\/lavo\/index.htm\"><u>Lassen Volcanic National\u00a0Park<\/u><\/a> that<br \/>\nhave erupted in the last 300,000 years, and it&#8217;s part of a region that&#8217;s been <a href=\"http:\/\/pubs.usgs.gov\/fs\/1998\/fs173-98\/\"><u>volcanically active<\/u><\/a> for more than 3<br \/>\nmillion years. <\/p>\n<p>Lassen Peak is now dormant but remains active, posing a distant<br \/>\nthreat to some nearby cities such as Redding and Chico.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mount Hood,<br \/>\nOregon <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>At<br \/>\nmore than 500,000 years old, <a href=\"http:\/\/vulcan.wr.usgs.gov\/Volcanoes\/Hood\/description_hood.html\"><u>Mount Hood<\/u><\/a> is a moody volcano, following<br \/>\ncenturies of frequent eruptions with quiet periods that have lasted a few<br \/>\ncenturies to more than 10,000 years. It last erupted in the 1790s, a few years<br \/>\nbefore <a href=\"http:\/\/vulcan.wr.usgs.gov\/LivingWith\/Historical\/LewisClark\/Info\/summary_mount_hood.html\"><u>Lewis and Clark<\/u><\/a> reached the Pacific<br \/>\nNorthwest. <\/p>\n<p>Oregon&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/vulcan.wr.usgs.gov\/Volcanoes\/Hood\/description_hood.html\"><u>tallest peak<\/u><\/a> has produced many debris<br \/>\navalanches of various sizes throughout its history, the largest of which<br \/>\nremoved the mountain&#8217;s summit and big chunks of its flanks. <\/p>\n<p>The USGS identifies <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mnn.com\/earth-matters\/translating-uncle-sam\/stories\/which-us-volcanoes-are-likely-to-erupt-next?page=8\"><u>two past eruptions<\/u><\/a> at Mount Hood that<br \/>\noffer perspective on future eruptions. Mount Hood <a href=\"http:\/\/vulcan.wr.usgs.gov\/Volcanoes\/Hood\/description_hood.html\"><u>dominates<\/u><\/a> the Cascade skyline from<br \/>\nPortland, OR, and while it&#8217;s probably not close enough to douse Portland with<br \/>\na volcanic mudflow, it could dust it with <a href=\"http:\/\/volcanoes.usgs.gov\/images\/pglossary\/tephra.php\">tephra<\/a> or ash, as Mount St. Helens did in 1980.<\/p>\n<p><em>Russell McLendon is an associate editor at the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mnn.com\/\">Mother Nature Network<\/a><\/em>, <em>where <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mnn.com\/earth-matters\/translating-uncle-sam\/stories\/which-us-volcanoes-are-likely-to-erupt-next?page=1\">a version of this post<\/a> originally appeared.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>More from Mother Nature Network<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mnn.com\/earth-matters\/wilderness-resources\/photos\/iceland-volcano-beautiful-images-of-a-natural-disaster\/aur\">Gallery: Amazing photos from the 2010 Iceland volcano <\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mnn.com\/earth-matters\/wilderness-resources\/photos\/the-15-most-toxic-places-to-live\/26145\">15 most toxic places to live<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mnn.com\/lifestyle\/travel\/photos\/nasa-photos-cities-at-night\/21223\">NASA photos: Cities at night<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mnn.com\/earth-matters\/translating-uncle-sam\/stories\/are-wildfires-getting-worse\">Are wildfires getting worse?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mnn.com\/earth-matters\/translating-uncle-sam\/stories\/what-is-the-great-pacific-ocean-garbage-patch\">What is the Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch?<\/a> <\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mnn.com\/earth-matters\/translating-uncle-sam\">See more of MNN&#8217;s explainers of the natural world<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Check out Yahoo! Green on <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/YahooGreen\">Twitter<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/yahoogreen\"> Facebook<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mount Rainier, Washington (Photo: USGS) When a volcano in Iceland began pumping plumes of ash over Europe this week, airlines across the continent went on high alert, canceling tens of thousands of flights and bringing air travel to a crawl. (See a gallery of amazing photos from the eruption.) While the ash wasn&#8217;t always visible [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6790,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-529844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/529844","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6790"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=529844"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/529844\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=529844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=529844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=529844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}