Volcanic Gas

The continued monitoring of gases, temperatures, and seismicity at Mount Baker is important for detecting changes in the deep system of magma and predicting volcanic unrest.

Mount Baker's edifice consists mostly of lava flows (as many as 200), and scattered evidence indicates that some of its products were broken up and carried away by glaciers.

In March 1975, local observers noted a dark column rising from Sherman Crater that sharply contrasted with previous white steam emissions. Over the next year numerous ashy plumes resulted in the formation of several small near-vent lahars.