Mount Ranier Called A Threat

Washingto Post via MSNBC ^ | 8-11-2003 | Blaine Harden

[blam]

Mount Rainier called a threat

Experts: Mountain is more unstable than previously thought

By Blaine Harden
THE WASHINGTON POST

MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK, Wash., Aug. 11 — Wedding cake white and big beyond words, Mount Rainier floats above Puget Sound like a child’s dream of what a mountain might be.

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DREAMS OF Rainier come in handy here, for the mountain itself has a habit of disappearing in clouds for weeks or even months on end. The 3 million people who live in and around Seattle know, of course, that it is up here — nearly 2 3/4 miles high, encased in glacial ice and fattening itself up every winter with more than 50 feet of fresh snow.

[blam]

This is a Washington Post article...They must be excerpted, go to the site for the full story.

[blam]

Ping.

[Conspiracy Guy]

Is Green Peace protesting the mountain's threat to the environment yet?

[Drango]

What did Bush know and when did he know it?

[mdittmar]

Have been camping around Rainier most of my life,doesn't get prettier than the "Great Northwest",the "Copper City Coolers" at Whistlin' Jacks are a much bigger threat.

But it's a hangover with a beautiful view.

[Only1choice____Freedom]

Is Green Peace protesting the mountain's threat to the environment yet?

Sounds like a good time to announce logging to begin there.

[Vinnie_Vidi_Vici]

I'm just waiting for Homeland Security to wrestle it to the ground!!!!

[Conspiracy Guy]

Yes before it St Helens all the good timber into crap. CLEAR CUT !!!!!!

[Only1choice____Freedom]

Didn't they use the St. Helens timber eventually. Or as much as they could harvest before it rotted?

[ChewedGum]

This is a Washington Post article...They must be excerpted...

I love the disclaimer. No excerpting flames burning in this thread!

Gum

[blam]

"I love the disclaimer. No excerpting flames burning in this thread!"

I hate excerpts when they're not necessary. This one is required.

[Domestic Church]

Folks out Seattle way should keep an eye on their pets..if they start behaving oddly it might be a good time to skiddadle.

[jennyp]

Between the 40 minutes warning and the fact that there are tons of great viewpoints of Mt. Rainier from the Seattle-Tacoma area, this is going to be the best-photographed mass calamity ever.

Mt. Rainier as seen from Seattle webcam (but not pointed to the mountain as I post this):

[Mike Darancette]

This is about the time of year when "stuff" released by melting glaciers starts coming down the mountain.

[Ann Archy]

I'm in Belltown...where are you?

[Doe Eyes]

For eight years Clinton knew this was coming and did nothing. I'm so glad the adults are in charge.

[jennyp]

I'm in W. Seattle, on the side of the ridge that faces West. We don't have a view of the mountain. We don't even get Seattle FM stations over here without static.

[11B3]

Hell, I'm outside of Eatonville, about 25 nautical miles from the mountain with a direct view of its' western side. We don't worry about lahars much, since we're about 400' above the Nisqually Valley floor (where the Nisqually and Mashell rivers meet), below the Alder Lake Dam. An eruption, however, would result in our area possibly catching some heavy semi-molten rocks. The resulting fires would be our undoing. At the very least, the ashfall would collapse all of the structures on the property - even if the winds were in an onshore pattern. Winds here are usually out of the south, which means not only would the southern end of the Sound get heavy ashes, so would you folks up in Seattle.

This article didn't mention what the folks at the dam have to do in the event of a lahar: They've got 15 minutes to EMPTY both dams - completely. And then shut the flood gates in an attempt to hold back some of the debris. If they are successful, they save the towns of McKenna and Yelm. These guys aren't given the opportunity to escape.

As for the woman who runs the park, well, she's SOL - that 60 feet wouldn't help her one bit. Projected height of a lahar at Paradise is nearly 300 feet, moving downhill at nearly 150 miles per hour. The only escape for the park employees would be by keeping a CH-47 running 24/7 and hope you were close enough to it to get out.

[Ann Archy]

I've only been to Alki...we just moved here. It certainy is beautiful!

[Conspiracy Guy]

Some but the yield was much lower than a proper harvest.