An Indepth Look At The History And Future Of Mount Rainier

April 22, 2008

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - Leading Mount Rainier expert Dr. Thomas Sisson, a geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), will share his research on Mount Rainier's potential eruption hazards with students and the local community at Central Washington University Thursday, April 24, 2008. Sisson, who has studied the mountain at length and written numerous reports about its history, will present his talk, "Mount Rainier: America's Most Threatening Volcano and How This Affects Residents of the Pacific Northwest," as part of the CWU Department of Geological Sciences Spring Seminar Series. The presentation gets underway at 7 p.m. in Hebeler Hall's auditorium.

"He truly is one of the worlds leading Mount Rainier experts," Department of Geological Sciences Chair and Associate Professor Wendy Bohrson says of Sisson. "He is an expert mountain climber, hiker and skier, so he has the ability to maneuver around a volcano."

Bohrson believes it's important for people to know about Mount Rainier's activity because it's a volcano that looms over the Seattle area.

According to the USGS, Mount Rainier experiences one to five earthquakes a month and five to 10 smaller quakes over a two- to three-day time period. The most recent quake at Mount Rainier was on April 21, according to the USGS's Web site.

"Mount Rainier is an active volcano that first erupted about half a million years ago," Sisson wrote in a report for the USGS. "Mount Rainier and other similar volcanoes in the Cascade Range, such as Mount Adams and Mount Baker, erupt much less frequently than the more familiar Hawaiian volcanoes, but their eruptions are vastly more destructive."

At Central, Sisson will discuss the mountain's history and predicted future, as well as take questions from the public. The lecture will be easy to follow and engaging, Bohrson said.

"There is nothing to suggest that volcanic activity has ended at Mount Rainier. (It) will surely erupt again…" Sisson wrote. However, there is "no immediate indication of renewed activity at Mount Rainier."

Sisson received his bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees in geology. He earned his doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Media Contact: Teri Olin, CWU Public Relations & Marketing, olint@cwu.edu, 509-963-1416

Central Washington University is a master's degree-granting institution with approximately 10,000 students and 1,500 faculty and staff. More than 160 undergraduate and master's degrees are offered. Founded in 1891, the Ellensburg campus is located in the heart of Washington State, nestled between the Cascade Mountains and the Columbia River. Since 1975, CWU has served the needs of place bound students at six university centers throughout the state. CWU is an AA/EEO Title IX Institution.