Mt. Rainier

Trish and I recently spent some time in Washington state, exploring and visiting family. As we flew out of Seattle at the end of the trip, we got an excellent view of Mt. Rainier.

This spectacular mountain is 14,411 feet (4,392 m) high, the highest mountain in the state. Perhaps one reason Rainier is so striking is that it stands alone, seemingly isolated from other significant peaks. This is because Mt. Rainier is a volcano, specifically a stratovolcanoe (built up of alternate layers of lava and ash), rather than being part of a mountain range with numerous peaks arranged in a line.

Mt. Rainier is close to a million years old, though its current volcanic cone is about 500,000 years old. Historically, Rainier has been extremely active, with massive debris avalanches, volcanic mudflows, and eruptions.

Rainier is considered to have a high probability of an eruption in the near future. That, combined with the fact that the mountain is near highly populated urban areas, makes Mt. Rainier one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world. In 1980, Mt. St. Helens, which is Mt. Rainier's closest neighbor, created the largest eruption ever recorded in the continental United States. If Rainier erupts as powerfully as St. Helens did, the effects would be far worse. Why? Because Rainier is almost twice the size of St. Helens, it holds far more glacial ice (causing more volcanic mudslides), and Rainier is surrounded by vastly more heavily populated areas.

Still, the mountain is an awesome sight.

Photo Credit:
Mt. Rainier from plane: Stan C. Smith