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United States · Stratovolcano

Mount Rainier

Rainier

Type
Stratovolcano
Elevation
4392m
Last eruption
1450
Mount Rainier
Photo: Walter Siegmund (talk) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Stratovolcano
Country
United States
Region
North America / High Cascades Volcanic Arc
Elevation
4392m
Coordinates
46.853, -121.760
Last eruption
1450
Tectonic setting
Subduction zone / Continental crust (> 25 km)
Landform
Composite
Major rock type
Andesite / Basaltic andesite
Geological summary

Mount Rainier is a heavily glaciated andesitic volcano in the Puget Sound region. Large Holocene mudflows from collapse have reached as far as the Puget Sound lowlands. The present summit was constructed within a large crater breached to the NE, formed by collapse during a major explosive eruption about 5,600 years ago that deposited the widespread Osceola Mudflow. Rainier has produced eruptions throughout the Holocene, including about a dozen during the past 2,600 years; the largest of these occurred about 2,200 years ago. The present summit cone is capped by two overlapping craters. Extensive hydrothermal alteration of the upper portion of the volcano has contributed to its structural weakness; an active thermal system has caused periodic melting on flank glaciers and produced an elaborate system of steam caves in the summit icecap. Reported uncertain 19th-century eruptions, including a possible but not confirmed phreatic eruption in 1894, have not left identifiable deposits.

From Wikipedia

Mount Rainier, also known as Tahoma, is a large, active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest in the United States. The mountain is located in Mount Rainier National Park about 59 miles (95 km) south-southeast of Seattle. At 14,406 ft (4,391 m) it is the highest mountain in the U.S. state of Washington, the most topographically prominent mountain in the contiguous United States, and the tallest in the Cascade Volcanic Arc.

Wikipedia · CC BY-SA · Read full article →

Eruption history

27 recordedGlossary
Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions · Use arrow keys to move between bars, Enter to open
8050 BCE~7719 BCE · 2 eruptions · max VEI 35730 BCE~5398 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 25398 BCE~5067 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 35067 BCE~4735 BCE · 2 eruptions · max VEI 34072 BCE~3741 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?3741 BCE~3409 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 33078 BCE~2747 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 22747 BCE~2415 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 3758 BCE~426 BCE · 4 eruptions · max VEI ?426 BCE~95 BCE · 3 eruptions · max VEI 4237~568 · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?900~1231 · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?1231~1563 · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?1563~1894 · 7 eruptions · max VEI 28050 BCE5730 BCE3078 BCE758 BCE1563

Detailed timeline

  1. 1894VEI 1Observed
    1894-11-21 – 1894-12-24
  2. 1882VEI 2Method not stated
    1882-07-02 – end unknown
  3. 1879VEI 2Method not stated
    1879-07-02 – end unknown
  4. 1870VEI 2Method not stated
    1870-07-02 – end unknown
  5. 1858VEI 2Method not stated
    1858-07-02 – end unknown
  6. 1854VEI 2Method not stated
    1854-07-02 – end unknown
  7. 1843VEI 2Method not stated
    1843-07-02 – end unknown
  8. 1450 (±100 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1450 – end unknown
  9. 910 (±500 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    910 – end unknown
  10. 440 (±100 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    440 – end unknown
  11. 150 BCEVEI ?Geological estimate
    150 BCE – end unknown
  12. 250 BCE (±200 yrs)VEI 4Geological estimate
    250 BCE – end unknown
  13. 400 BCE (±50 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    400 BCE – end unknown
  14. 500 BCE (±50 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    500 BCE – end unknown
  15. 610 BCE (±100 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    610 BCE – end unknown
  16. 650 BCE (±50 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    650 BCE – end unknown
  17. 700 BCE (±50 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    700 BCE – end unknown
  18. 2550 BCEVEI 3Geological estimate
    2550 BCE – end unknown
  19. 2750 BCEVEI 2Geological estimate
    2750 BCE – end unknown
  20. 3650 BCEVEI 3Geological estimate
    3650 BCE – end unknown
  21. 3850 BCE (±200 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    3850 BCE – end unknown
  22. 4850 BCEVEI 2Geological estimate
    4850 BCE – end unknown
  23. 5050 BCEVEI 3Geological estimate
    5050 BCE – end unknown
  24. 5350 BCEVEI 3Geological estimate
    5350 BCE – end unknown
  25. 5550 BCEVEI 2Geological estimate
    5550 BCE – end unknown
  26. 7800 BCE (±300 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    7800 BCE – end unknown
  27. 8050 BCEVEI 3Geological estimate
    8050 BCE – end unknown

Nearby volcanoes

External links

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