Visiting Mount Baker, Washington, next year...

It's time I visited some of the volcanoes I've been writing about, for real, and it starts next year. I'm going to Washington state to visit Mount Baker.

Here's the 411

Mount Baker  active glaciated andesitic stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc and the North Cascades of Washington State.

It  has the second-most thermally active crater in the Cascade Range. (Mount Saint Helens is the first.).

Mount Baker is the youngest volcano in the Mount Baker volcanic field. While volcanism has persisted here for some 1.5 million years, the current glaciated cone is likely no more than 140,000 years old, and possibly no older than 80-90,000 years. Older volcanic edifices have mostly eroded away due to glaciation.

Mount Baker is second to Mount Rainier as the most heavily glaciated of the Cascade Range volcanoes. The volume of snow and ice  s greater than that of all the other Cascades volcanoes combined (excluding Mount Rainier.).

Mount Baker is about 31 miles due east of Bellingham, and I'm already researching places where I might stay.

Mt. Baker lodgings include time shares and condominiums for daily or weekly rent.

I'm thinking of Snowater Lodge, which is adjacent to the Nooksack river and which  is quite pretty, according to their website.  And I believe them because every location in Washington state near the mountains is pretty!

There's also plenty to see and do, if you're a nature lover, around Mt. Baker lodgings, so I'll probalby take in a few more sites besides the volcano.

The adventure starts in 2015!

Posts Resume Sept 24 2012

My mom, who is 75, wants to go up to teeny tiny town near Rapid City, to see her sister, who is 80. They live in a house in the boonies and have no internet.

I'll be back online on Monday the 24th and promise not to miss another day.

Please bear with me, your patience is appreciated!

Colombia volcano erupts, prompts evacuations

From Reuters:  Colombia volcano erupts, prompts evacuations


(Reuters) - Colombia evacuated people from communities close to the Nevado del Ruiz volcano after an eruption on Saturday that spewed smoke and ash from its crater, bringing back memories of avalanches that in 1985 buried tens of thousands under rocks.

President Juan Manuel Santos said on his Twitter account that the area around the Nevado del Ruiz, in the central spine of Colombia's Andean mountain range, had been put on red alert and people should leave the area.

Even as volcanic activity began to subside, emergency services urged 4,800 residents in Caldas and nearby Tolima province to get to safety, according to Carlos Ivan Marquez, who heads the security effort. The volcano is about 110 miles west of the capital Bogota.

"It's fundamental that communities near to the volcano follow all security recommendations; that means preventative evacuations and that people remain calm," Marquez said.

Communities around the volcano, also known by the indigenous name Kumanday, usually heed government warnings to flee as memories remain fresh of the 1985 tragedy that killed as many as 25,000 and injured 5,000.
Back then, as the 17,400-feet (5,300-metre) volcano erupted, mud, rocks and lava exploded from the mountain and collapsed onto the valley town of Armero as residents slept, killing almost all who lived there.

 

Cascades Volcano Observatory watches more than NW

From Seattle Times: Cascades Volcano Observatory watches more than NW
VANCOUVER, Wash. — The Cascades Volcano Observatory's name suggests an entirely Northwest focus. The file cabinets in John Ewert's office suggest otherwise.

A handwritten label on one drawer simply reads "Colombia." Another points to the southwest Pacific. Ecuador. Peru. Each refers to a far-away place the observatory's scientists have watched over the years, often traveling to support local authorities when a potentially dangerous volcano starts acting up.

Of course, Cascades Volcano Observatory scientists also keep a constant, close eye on the mountains in their own backyard. To walk the halls of the observatory's Vancouver headquarters is to be surrounded by a visual history of each volcano, particularly the Northwest's most famous, Mount St. Helens. This month, Washington marks Volcano Awareness Month as the anniversary of the mountain's catastrophic May 18, 1980, eruption approaches.

"It really started modern volcanology," said Ewert, the observatory's scientist-in-charge.

When the Cascades are relatively quiet - as they are now - volcanoes generally don't land high on people's list of day-to-day concerns, said John Pallister, chief of the observatory's Volcano Disaster Assistance Program. But that doesn't mean communities shouldn't be ready, he said. An active volcano may only give a few days' warning before waking up.

"It's important to have established monitoring systems before a crisis," Pallister said. "That can be a tough sell if there hasn't been a crisis in a while."

The Cascades Volcano Observatory is one of only five volcanic observatories operated by the U.S. Geological Survey. It and other facilities combine a variety of disciplines to keep a finger on the pulse of mountains near and far, and advance ongoing research to better understand them. Among the Vancouver office's 55 or so staff are geologists, seismologists, hydrologists, petrologists and others.

The facility's operations room offers a real-time look at Northwest mountains' constant rumblings. Sixteen flat-screen monitors display seismic readings from several Washington and Oregon peaks, mounted around a pair of digital clocks.

At first glance, the readings may look more dire than they actually are. That's because outside forces such as wind, footsteps or helicopters can kick up "noise" on the graphs. A sort of cheat sheet on the wall shows how to recognize them.

"After awhile, you kind of train your eye to see these things," said Carolyn Driedger, an observatory hydrologist and outreach coordinator.

Seismologist Seth Moran is one of the scientists responsible for monitoring Northwest volcanoes' activities daily. It's no surprise that Mount St. Helens is the best equipped with monitoring gear, but Moran said he'd like to see better investments and equipment at some of the Northwest's other peaks - Oregon's Mount Hood and Washington's Glacier Peak among them.

Like other observatory scientists, Moran tackles regular research and projects as part of his day-to-day work. But when a Northwest volcano does something out of the ordinary - as Mount St. Helens did during its last eruptive phase between 2004 and 2008 - that changes.

"Everything drops," Moran said.

Outside the Northwest, the Cascades Volcano Observatory's international efforts remain active. Several local scientists were recently dispatched to Indonesia for "infrastructure building" to help authorities there monitor volcanic threats. Another group traveled to Colombia to help keep tabs on Nevado del Ruiz, a volcano recently showing signs of a possible eruption.

Both locations are familiar hot spots. Indonesia is among the most geologically active places in the world, and a densely populated landscape only adds to the risk of disaster, Pallister said. It's also been the site of success stories - as recently as 2010, an evacuation ahead of a major eruption saved thousands of lives, he said.

Colombia's Nevado del Ruiz helped spur international action more than two decades ago, after a 1985 eruption and subsequent mud and debris flow that killed more than 23,000 people. The Volcanic Disaster Assistance Program started the following year.

Volcanic activity doesn't always result in that kind of calamity. Many events are much more docile. But just because a mountain isn't erupting doesn't mean it's not talking, Moran said.

"Volcanoes are constantly chattering away," Moran said. "And when they're chattering, we have to pay attention."

Volcano monitoring battery stolen

From the Philippines Star: Volcano monitoring battery stolen LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines – A 22-year-old man was arrested for possessing a battery used to power a station monitoring Mayon volcano. Albay police director Superintendent William Macavinta said Jomar Ramirez, a resident of Barangay Sto. Niño in Sto. Domingo, Albay, had offered to sell the battery to a junk shop. Suspecting that Ramirez could be one of those reported in the media to have stolen batteries and other gadgets installed at the foot of Mayon volcano, the junk shop owner reported the matter to the police, he added. Macavinta said a police team immediately went to the residence of Ramirez, where they found him in possession of the battery. Volcanologist Alex Baloloy identified the battery as having been stolen a week ago, he added. Macavinta said Ramirez remains in the custody of the Sto. Domingo police for further investigation. “We hope that he would pinpoint who are his accomplices,” he said. Meanwhile, Albay Gov. Joey Salceda said the Bicol Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council had already passed a resolution urging classification of monitoring instruments around Mayon volcano as vital to be included as government properties to be closely safeguarded. Salceda said they also recommended that the theft of such instruments be non-bailable, an amendment to the existing penalty of P50,000 fine and imprisonment of six years and below. “If this is the only way to make sure that these very important gadgets would be spared by thieves, we have to do it,” he said.

Health fears for volcano refugees

From CathNews India: Health fears for volcano refugees

The health of hundreds of people who fled the slopes of Mount Lewotolok in East Nusa Tenggara province in Indonesia last week as a result of increased volcanic activity is becoming a major cause of concern, a Church official has warned.

Over 500 people in Lembata district left their homes in 10 villages after the Vulcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center raised Mount Lewotolok’s alert status on January 2.

“We are doing all we can to provide aid but there are many refugees who have started suffering from acute respiratory infections,” Father Philipus da Gomez has said.

Many refugees are staying with relatives while the rest are staying at Our Lady of Banneux Church, the St. Damien Leper Hospital and the Ankara Loan Cooperative, in the town of Lewoleba.

The episcopal-vicar of Lembata says Bishop Fransiskus Kopong Kung of Larantuka has appealed to all Catholics in the town to help local government in taking care of the refugees.

Source: ucanews.com

Activity increases as Nicaragua’s Masaya volcano

From the Extinction Protocol: Activity increases as Nicaragua’s Masaya volcano

January 10, 2012 – NICARAGUA – There is no incandescence currently as part of the wall near the vent collapsed into it. Local people are expecting an eruption to clear it. One can hear churning and avalanches and there is quite a bit of gas; you better put the mask on or you can only stay 10-15 min on lookout. The dormant crater next door looks like has a small lava dome in it which is slowly rising. The trees and plants don’t grow properly maybe because of CO2 in this crater? –Volcano Discovery

Restless large caldera: Masaya is a shield volcano located 20 km south of Managua, Nicaragua. It is Nicaragua’s first and largest National Park, and one of 78 protected areas of Nicaragua. The volcanic complex is composed of a nested set of calderas and craters, the largest of which is Las Sierras shield volcano and caldera. Within this caldera lies Masaya Volcano sensu stricto, a shallow shield volcano composed of basaltic lavas and tephras. This hosts Masaya caldera, formed 2500 years ago by an 8-km³ basaltic ignimbrite eruption. Inside this caldera a new basaltic complex has grown from eruptions mainly on a semi-circular set of vents that include the Masaya and Nindiri cones. Although the recent activity of Masaya has largely been dominated by continuous degassing from an occasionally lava-filled pit crater, a number of discrete explosive events have occurred in the last 50 years. Masaya’s last eruption occurred in 2008. –Wikipedia