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Are the volcanoes in Washington worry worthy in any way? What’s your risk assessment personally?
by pyinstallwoes 2y ago
Are the volcanoes in Washington worry worthy in any way? What’s your risk assessment personally?
- jjtheblunt 2y agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_eruption_of_Mount_St._Helens https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_eruption_of_Mount_St._Hel...
- RobRivera 2y agoI did the lahar hike to the 'now closed off' johnson observatory. The amount of terrain devastation that is still clearly evident over 40 years later is terrifying
- pfdietz 2y agoWhy was Johnson even there? There was a breakdown in risk assessment, particularly as the side of the volcano began to bulge.
- jandrewrogers 2y agoVolcanoes give you a lot of warning and most in Washington are not located close to major population centers. The one exception is Mount Rainier, which is on the Decade Volcano list. Technically Glacier Peak is a similar distance from Seattle but it is a much smaller volcano and risk of damage is much lower. Historically the Cascade volcanoes only erupt something like 2-3 times per century and most are minor. It isn’t something anyone really worries about. Much higher risk from earthquakes. I lived down range of Mount St. Helens when it had its major eruption in 1980. It was a regional disaster but the recovery was relatively quick and few people died despite the epic scale of it. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decade_Volcanoes https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decade_Volcanoes
- loeg 2y agoThe suburbs southeast of Seattle are maybe at risk of lahar flows. The city itself and suburbs to the north are mostly not at risk.
- Schiendelman 2y agoIt's a stretch to even say suburbs - more exurbs and some completely separate cities.
- loeg 2y agoSure. In the most extreme scenario I think there is flooding and debris coming up the Duwamish towards South Park and Georgetown.
- Schiendelman 2y agoWow. I sit corrected - I had no idea it could impact so far north, but I see maps show flooding there potentially! Thanks for teaching me something new.
- ruined 2y agoTahoma is the most potentially destructive one. some projections suggest lahar flows reaching downtown Seattle in a worst-case. https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/ofr98428 https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/ofr98428 https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/mount-rainier-volcano-hazards-and-lahar-arrival-times-puyallup-and-nisqually-river https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/mount-rainier-volcano-haza...
- loeg 2y ago(Conventionally known as Mt Rainier.)
- RickS 2y agoHere in seattle, volcanoes feel like an afterthought attached to the thing that's actually scary, which is the Cascadia Subduction Zone[1]. There's an hour long presentation from CWU [2] that's dry but fascinating, and pretty free of popsci FUD. When the CSZ eventually goes, it's gonna be truly catastrophic. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascadia_subduction_zone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascadia_subduction_zone [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJ7Qc3bsxjI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJ7Qc3bsxjI
- sbuttgereit 2y agoThe guy giving the talk in that video is Nick Zentner. He's great and manages to make what could otherwise be fairly dry content very interesting.... and he's got his own YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GeologyNick https://www.youtube.com/@GeologyNick His "Ice Age Floods A to Z" series was must watch TV for me last winter.
- 8bitsrule 2y agoYeah, it was great ...and he's already prepping for a 'Cascade Volcanos A-Z' series starting this November 6 to Feb 15 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SVMH4ZA7cU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SVMH4ZA7cU