ARE YOUR READY FOR AN ERUPTION?
Dominating Whatcom County’s skyline, Mount Baker is the playground of outdoor enthusiasts. Mount Baker is also an active volcano. While the most recent eruption of new lava from Mount Baker occurred 6,700 years ago, other hazardous activity has caused impacts on the volcano's slopes and downstream. Between the 1840's and 1880's, hydro-thermal explosions and collapses rocked Mount Baker. Some resulted in lahars (volcanic mud flows). A reheating in 1975
and access closures on the mountain's south and east flanks reminded local people of the volcano’s potential to disrupt their lives.
On cold, clear days, you can see steam plumes rising from Sherman crater. Mount Baker will erupt again, disrupting the landscape and the lives of people downstream and downwind.
During an eruption at Mount Baker, you can expect:
- Lahars caused (volcanic mud flows caused by melting of snow and ice) can flow for tens of miles down valleys.
- Ash fall, even during small eruptions, can disrupt air and ground transportation and dust our forests, farms, and towns with gritty rock fragments.
There will be warning. Future eruptions will be preceded by days or more of increased earthquakes and, possibly, by measurable swelling of the volcano and the increased emission of volcanic gases.
While an eruption or lahar might not happen in your lifetime, being prepared is your best defense.