Scientists warn volcano disaster could hit 60,000 Americans in minutes

Mount Rainier is identified as the most dangerous US volcano because it threatens more than 60,000 residents in lahar hazard zones. Lahars are fast-moving volcanic mudflows that can destroy entire communities even without an eruption when water mixes with loose rock, ash, and debris on the volcano’s slopes. Landslides, heavy rainfall, melting glaciers, or even small earthquakes can destabilize parts of the volcano and trigger torrents of mud, rock, and debris down river valleys. Orting, Puyallup, and Sumner are described as sitting directly in a potential lahar path with little or no warning. About 150,000 people in Pierce County live within projected hazard zones. Glaciers and unstable volcanic rock create conditions for catastrophic mudflows. Past events include the Osceola Mudflow, which traveled more than 220 miles toward Puget Sound, and the deadliest modern US lahar during the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption.

"Scientists are warning that three Washington towns could be devastated within minutes if a massive volcanic mudflow suddenly tears down Mount Rainier. Mount Rainier, deemed the most dangerous volcano in the US, threatens more than 60,000 residents living in its lahar danger zone. Lahars are fast-moving volcanic mudflows capable of obliterating entire communities, even without an eruption, when water rapidly mixes with loose rock, ash and debris on a volcano's slopes."

"Scientists warned that landslides, heavy rainfall, melting glaciers or even small earthquakes could destabilize part of the volcano, unleashing a torrent of mud, rock and debris down surrounding river valleys. Former Cascades Volcano Observatory geophysicist Andy Lockhart told Popular Mechanics that Orting, Puyallup and Sumner sit directly in the path of a potential catastrophe that could strike with little or no warning."

"Researchers are especially worried about Mount Rainier because roughly 150,000 people in Washington's Pierce County live within projected lahar hazard zones. Rainier, located roughly 60 miles from Seattle, is heavily covered in glaciers and unstable volcanic rock, conditions experts say create the perfect setup for catastrophic mudflows. National Autonomous University of Mexico volcanologist Lizeth Caballero García told Popular Mechanics that lahars are especially dangerous because they are 'complex phenomena that change a lot during transport. They can grow, they can dilute.'"

"One of the largest lahars in US history occurred thousands of years ago when part of Mount Rainier collapsed, unleashing the massive Osceola Mudflow. Scientists estimate the mudflow carried enough debris to fill roughly 1.5 million Olympic-sized swimming pools more than 220 miles toward Puget Sound, burying parts of what are now the Enumclaw and Kent valleys. The deadliest modern US lahar struck during the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, when the volcano's collapsing north flank and scorching pyroclast"

Read at Mail Online