Mt. Baker Volcano

Western U.S. - Washington

SUMMARY

Type: stratovolcano
Activity: dormant
Last Eruption: 1850s
Rock Type: andesite with minor basalt
Eruptive Volume: ?
Location Map from Xerox PARC
Latitude: 48.79 N
Longitude: 121.82 W

Geologic Background:

Mount Baker, the northernmost of Washington's volcanoes, is a 3285-m-high glacier-clad stratovolcano constructed above the east flank of the eroded Pleistocene Black Buttes volcano. Holocene activity has included several moderate explosive eruptions that produced small volumes of tephra, pyroclastic flows in the Boulder Creek valley, and numerous mudflows. With the exception of the Schriebers Meadow cinder cone on the SE flank, volcanism has been confined to the central conduit. Sherman Crater, the historically active crater immediately south the summit, has been the site of increased steam emission since 1975.

Historic Activity:

  • Mount Baker was observed in eruption by the crew of a Spanish exploring vessel in 1792.
  • Early settlers in the Puget Sound region as far away as Victoria, British Columbia, observed many 19th-century eruptions.  

Recent Activity:

  •  A major episode of steam activity at Sherman crater from March 1975 to early 1976.

Data Sources

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Last Update: 1/8/01