Latest Pleistocene to Present Geology of Mount Baker Volcano, Northern Cascade Range, Washington — PP 1865
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Latest Pleistocene to Present Geology of Mount Baker Volcano, Northern Cascade Range, Washington Professional Paper 1865 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Roman Wall Grant Peak (10,781 feet) Summit ice plateau Black Buttes West breach Southwest pit (fumarole) Sherman Peak Lahar Lookout (10,160+ feet) Sherman Crater Sulphur Cone fumaroles East breach Cover. Aerial view of Mount Baker from the south, illustrating dark-colored, mainly unaltered bedrock of the west flank (on left, including the Roman Wall), and the lighter colored southeast flank (on right), with hydrothermal alteration concentrated at Holocene Sherman Crater. Carmelo Crater is the Pleistocene ice-filled summit crater. Note wind-distributed material on Sherman Crater floor. Photograph by J.H. Scurlock, September 2, 2003, used with permission. Frontispiece. Aerial view of Mount Baker from the southeast. Photograph by J.H. Scurlock, July 27, 2009, used with permission. Latest Pleistocene to Present Geology of Mount Baker Volcano, Northern Cascade Range, Washington By Kevin M. Scott, David S. Tucker, Jon L. Riedel, Cynthia A. Gardner, and John P. McGeehin Professional Paper 1865 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior DAVID BERNHARDT, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey James F. Reilly II, Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2020 For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment—visit https://www.usgs.gov or call 1–888–ASK–USGS. For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit https://store.usgs.gov. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also may contain copyrighted materials as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner. Suggested citation: Scott, K.M., Tucker, D.S., Riedel, J.L., Gardner, C.A., and McGeehin, J.P., 2020, Latest Pleistocene to present geology of Mount Baker Volcano, northern Cascade Range, Washington: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1865, 170 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/pp1865. ISSN 2330-7102 (online) iii Acknowledgments The detail of this latest-Pleistocene-to-present history of Mount Baker would not have been possible without many observations of “overburden” shared by Wes Hildreth during his mapping of the volcano’s bedrock (Hildreth and others, 2003). We appreciate his counsel during all stages of this study. We pay tribute to our collaborator, photographer-pilot John H. Scurlock; a few of his thousands of photographs of the volcano illustrate this report. Examples of his aerial images of Mount Baker, the north Cascade Range, and other volcanic and alpine terrains in the western United States and Canada can be viewed at https://jaggedridgeimaging.com. Unlocking the remarkable history of the mobile debris avalanches in Rainbow Creek and Avalanche Gorge would not have been possible without the alpine and geological skills of David R. Lewis during our traverses of the gorge, two from above, one from below (Lewis and others, 2006). This mentor and earth science teacher at Mount Baker High School inspires his students, fellow teachers, and us. We are in debt to the first accurate, deposit-based observations of the recent volcanic history of Mount Baker by Joseph Morovits, a miner and pioneer climbing guide who prospected throughout the Baker River watershed east of the volcano from 1891 to about 1917. That spelling of Joseph’s name appears in historical accounts but is Morovitz on topographic maps of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). USGS policy requires that geologic names reflect spellings on those maps, and consequently we apologize to Morovits’ descendants (and to those of Herman Schreiber, of Schriebers Meadow renown). The family name is actually Morvits or Morvitz, according to his grandnephew, volcanologist Richard P. Hoblitt. We cite several observations of 19th-century flows and eruptions by this brilliant but unschooled geologist (accounts and letters in appendix 9). We name the most significant young lahar from Mount Baker after Joseph—the multibranched Morovitz Creek lahar—based on its widespread deposits in the drainage in which he built his “ranch.” Pioneer aerial photographer Lage Wernstedt took the first images showing the debris avalanches in the reaches of Rainbow Creek named Avalanche Gorge after their description by Morovits. The minimum limiting date of the youngest avalanche is confirmed by one of his images (no. 3968). William E. Scott and Thomas C. Pierson of the USGS reviewed the entire report; Wes Hildreth (USGS) and Pierson reviewed a previous draft; John C. Clague (Simon Fraser University) and Thom Davis (Bentley College) reviewed an early glacier chapter and aspects of an early glacial lake chapter; Karoly Nemeth (Massey University) reviewed the peperite discussions; and Mark Mastin (USGS Washington Water Science Center) reviewed appendix 8 and helped with the solution to that fascinating “detective story.” David Lewis and Kevin Scott received a Partners-in-Science Award from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust during 2005 and 2006. David Tucker and Kevin Scott received a 2006–07 research grant from Mazamas, the mountaineering organization of Portland, Oregon, that has a rich history of exploration at Mount Baker. Scott received 2007–09 grants from the Bradley Scholars program of the USGS. iv Contents Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................................iii Chapter A. Summary......................................................................................................................................1 Chapter B. Introduction.................................................................................................................................7 Geologic Background...........................................................................................................................7 Terminology ............................................................................................................................................8 Reference Sections and Buried Forests .........................................................................................12 Radiocarbon Dating and Age Conventions ....................................................................................12 Dendrochronology ..............................................................................................................................12 Locations and Reference of Geographic Features .......................................................................12 Past and Ongoing Investigations .....................................................................................................13 Navigating this Report .......................................................................................................................13 Chapter C. Glaciers and Mount Baker .....................................................................................................15 Late Pleistocene Glaciation ..............................................................................................................17 Evans Creek Stade .....................................................................................................................17 Vashon Stade ..............................................................................................................................17 Everson Interstade ....................................................................................................................19 Sumas Stade (Older and Younger Dryas)...............................................................................19 Holocene Glaciation ...........................................................................................................................21 Early Holocene ...........................................................................................................................21 Middle Holocene ........................................................................................................................22 Late Holocene—First Millennium A.D. ...................................................................................22 Late Holocene—Little Ice Age ................................................................................................22 Chromatic Moraine ....................................................................................................................23 Modern Glaciers .................................................................................................................................23 Summary of Latest Pleistocene to Late Holocene Glacial History at Mount Baker ................24 Chapter D. Glacial Lakes Concrete and Baker .......................................................................................27 Glacial Lake Concrete ........................................................................................................................27 Glacial Lake Baker ..............................................................................................................................27 Stratigraphy of Glacial Lake Baker Deposits ........................................................................30