Mount Rainier has been closely monitored as scientists watch for signs of volcanic activity

For many, the word “eruption” brings to mind 1980 when Mount St. Helens demonstrated that Washington Falls is one of the most volcanically active parts of the country.

Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams, Mount Baker, and Glacier Peak are four active volcanoes in Washington state. The fifth, located less than 70 miles from Seattle, is Mount Rainier.

“It's quite background activity, so we're not worried about Mount Rainier right now,” said Alex Izzi, a research geophysicist with the USGS.

Iezzi's team with the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory monitors the Cascades daily. Its ultrasonic and seismic sensors detect fissures and movement from below as magma is pushed upward. Gas sensors indicate changes in volcanic vapors, and GPS sensors monitor and measure ground deformation.

See also | Volcanoes in Washington state are ranked among the most dangerous in the country

With researchers monitoring Mount Rainier closely, Eazy said that if a large eruption occurs, we will likely “be able to see it months before.”

Such an eruption, with some prevailing winds, may be able to bring volcanic ash to Seattle. However, a lava flow or mudflow affecting the Seattle area would be very unlikely. But in cities closer to the foothills, such as Puyallup and Orting, there are serious risks.

In 2018, the US Geological Survey updated its assessment of the most dangerous volcanoes in the United States, with Mount Rainier ranked third on the list behind Mount St. Helens and Kilauea in Hawaii. The US Geological Survey said Mount Rainier ranks third because of its history of large and destructive eruptions and its proximity to densely populated areas. Experts believe a Mount Rainier eruption would pose a serious threat to millions of people living in the southern and eastern parts of the Seattle metropolitan area.

“One of the main dangers of Rainier is that it is less explosive, but there are a lot of glaciers above it that can melt and form these big avalanches that can move downstream into areas where people live,” Eze said.

Lahars are extremely destructive volcanic mudflows that can swallow everything in their path. During the Mount St. Helens eruption, volcanic rock flowed up to 60 miles and destroyed 200 homes. Lahar is one of the risks associated with a Mount Rainier eruption, so many hillside communities are preparing.

“There are lahar evacuation drills in the Orting and Puyallup areas (and every year or two), and I think 45,000 people participated this year,” Eazi said.

In isolated cases, a lahar can occur without a volcanic eruption from a landslide instead. These so-called “no-notice lahars” are the reason additional sensors are focused in drainage areas on the southwestern slopes of Mount Rainier.

In the Cascades, wind patterns often direct any ash from an erupting volcano eastward while the lahar threat primarily affects the western slopes, Eze said. Although Mount Rainier has not erupted in 1,000 years, a USGS team will be monitoring when signs appear.

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