(OPINION) Have you noticed that there has been a very alarming rise in volcanic activity in recent months? According to Volcano Discovery, 38 volcanoes around the globe have recently erupted, and dozens more are showing signs of either unrest or minor activity.
In all my years, I have never seen anything quite like this, and I am entirely convinced that seismic activity will only increase during the months ahead.
Here in the United States, I am watching Mt. Rainier very closely, and Yellowstone is a threat that is constantly hanging over our heads.
But scientists are warning that Mount Spurr could actually be the next volcano to erupt inside U.S. territory…
Scientists have warned that a massive volcano in Alaska has a 50-50 chance of erupting soon.
Mount Spurr, 11,000 feet tall, is 77 miles from Anchorage, the state’s largest city, home to nearly 300,000 people.
Over the last 10 months, it has been experiencing an unusually high amount of small earthquakes.
A full-blown eruption of Mount Spurr would be spectacular, but not much damage would occur because that area of Alaska is very lightly populated.
On the other hand, a full-blown eruption of Mount Rainier would have the potential to be cataclysmic, and we are being told that “it is only a matter of time” before it happens…
Experts say it is only a matter of time until Mount Rainier, one of the most dangerous volcanos in the US, unleashes itself upon the Pacific Northwest.
This huge, active stratovolcano looms over nearly 90,000 people living in cities such as Seattle, Tacoma, and Yakima in Washington as well as Portland, Oregon.
Most people living in Seattle and Tacoma have no idea how much danger they are in.
But those that have closely studied Mount Rainier certainly understand…
‘Mount Rainier keeps me up at night because it poses such a great threat to the surrounding communities,’ Jess Phoenix, a volcanologist and ambassador for the Union of Concerned Scientists previously said during an appearance on CNN.
When this volcano eventually blows, it won’t be lava flows or choking clouds of ash that threaten surrounding cities, but lahars: violent, fast-moving mudflows that can tear across entire communities in a matter of minutes.
For a moment, I would like for you to imagine a giant wall of super-heated mud rushing at you at 50 miles per hour.
For those that are located in the direct path, there will be little hope of escape.
But evacuation drills are regularly held anyway. In fact, on March 21st of last year local communities conducted “the world’s largest lahar evacuation drill”…
On March 21, 2024, more than 45,000 students in communities south of Seattle and west of Mount Rainier participated in the world’s largest lahar evacuation drill.
Although the Regional Lahar Evacuation Drill is held every two years, this year’s was the largest ever. The East Pierce Interlocal Coalition (EPIC) Emergency Management Team coordinates the drill,
with support from local government officials, school districts, first responders, emergency managers, volunteers, and state and federal agencies, such as the U.S. Geological Survey.
Students from Puyallup, Sumner-Bonney Lake, Orting, White River and Carbonado, Washington participated in the event.
Because Mount Rainier is so close to highly populated areas, there won’t be much time to warn local residents.
The super-heated mud will move incredibly fast, and it will show no mercy.
Today, much of Tacoma and much of South Seattle are actually built on “100-foot-thick ancient mudflows from eruptions of Mount Rainier”…
‘Tacoma and South Seattle are built on 100-foot-thick ancient mudflows from eruptions of Mount Rainier,’ Phoenix said.
This is a strong indication that these populous cities lie within the path of potential lahars generated by a future eruption.
Of course the Pacific Northwest is also facing the threat of a giant tsunami that is produced as a result of a massive rupture along the Cascadia Subduction Zone…
Scientists are sounding the alarm after a series of earthquakes rocked the West Coast last week, warning a major seismic event is ‘inevitable.’
Earthquakes trigger tsunamis by causing the ocean floor to rise or fall, pushing water above to form a massive wave.
But it isn’t just California at risk, Washington sits along the Cascadia Subduction Zone that is capable of a ‘megaquake’, they said.
One scientist that has studied the Cascadia Subduction Zone very closely is warning that a large enough earthquake could potentially “generate tsunami waves up to 80 feet tall”…
Harold Tobin, a co-author of the paper and the director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, said that although the data will help fine-tune projections, it doesn’t change a tough-to-swallow reality of living in the Pacific Northwest.
“We have the potential for earthquakes and tsunamis as large as the biggest ones we’ve experienced on the planet,” said Tobin, who is also a University of Washington professor. “Cascadia seems capable of generating a magnitude 9 or a little smaller or a little bigger.”
A quake that powerful could cause shaking that lasts about five minutes and generate tsunami waves up to 80 feet tall.
It would damage well over half a million buildings, according to emergency planning documents. READ MORE
