Mount Adams:
Scientists are trying to establish what caused an unusual spike in earthquakes at the Mount Adams volcano by installing multiple temporary seismic monitoring stations at the site.
- In September, six small earthquakes were recorded at the “high threat” volcano. Normally, it only experiences one earthquake every two to three years, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
- Mount Adams is a stratovolcano located in the Cascade Range of the western United States, in Washington State.
- It is the second-highest mountain in Washington after Mount Rainier, with an elevation of 3,743 meters.
- Mount Adams is a stratovolcano, which means it is built up by many layers of hardened lava, tephra, pumice, and volcanic ash. Stratovolcanoes are known for their explosive eruptions.
- It is part of the Cascade Volcanic Arc, a chain of volcanoes in the Pacific Northwest region formed due to the subduction of the Juan de Fuca Plate beneath the North American Plate.
- Mount Adams is considered dormant but not extinct. The last known eruption occurred about 1,000 years ago, and there is still potential for future volcanic activity.
- Research indicates that Mount Adams has produced four lava flows within the last 12,000 years, all of which have remained within a few miles of the volcano.
- The USGS highlights that the greatest risk to nearby communities comes from lahars—muddy flows of rock, ash, and ice—that can occur during both eruptive and non-eruptive phases.
- These lahars have the potential to travel significant distances, with historical flows thought to have reached far from the volcano approximately 6,000 and 300 years ago.
