USGS/Cascades Volcano Observatory, Vancouver, Washington
REPORT:
Volcanic-Hazard Zonation for Glacier Peak Volcano, Washington
--
Richard B. Waitt, Larry G. Mastin, and James E. Begét, 1995,
Volcanic-Hazard Zonation for Glacier Peak Volcano, Washington:
U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 95-499
Introduction
Glacier Peak, unlike other Cascade volcanoes in Washington,
does not stand as a prominent
backdrop to metropolitan centers. Glacier Peak's attractions,
as well as its hazards, thus tend to be
overlooked. Yet like most other Cascade volcanoes, Glacier Peak
has erupted several times since the
Iceage glaciers retreated 15,000 years agomost recently around the
eighteenth century. Since
glacial times Glacier Peak has had larger and more explosive
eruptions than any Washington volcano
except Mount St. Helens. If similar eruptions took place today,
they could place nearby communities
at serious risk. This report describes hazards that would
accompany future activity at Glacier Peak
and shows areas that would most likely be affected.
Volcanic hazards at Glacier Peak result from several different
phenomena: tephra fall, pyroclastic flows, pyroclastic surges,
ballistic ejection, debris avalanches, lahars, and floods.
Lahars represent the greatest hazard, followed by tephra fall.
We describe each of these phenomena, the damage it
can cause, its history of occurrence at Glacier Peak (if known),
and where around Glacier Peak that damage is most likely to occur.
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05/22/00, Lyn Topinka