Known Geologic Events at Mount Rainier
The purpose of this page is to list all known, dated gelogic events at Mount Rainier, including lahars, debris flows, large rockfalls, large avalanches, rockfalls, and other events. This list is currently being compiled, so if you find errors or a missing event, please
let Scott know.
Database ID#: 135
Date: Saturday, August 4, 2018
Location: Winthrop Creek
Glacier Name: Winthrop Glacier
Drainage Basin: West Fork White River
Event Type: Debris Flow
Weather:
At White River Stream Gage: High 74, low 43. DFH = Medium. Dry, sunny after long period of dry/hot weather.
NOTE that there was convective activity in the area of Sunrise, which may have enhanced this event. Sunrise weather station down though.
Season: Dry
Notes:
Initially reported by Eric Marks (Puyallup Tribe) on 8/6/2018. Eric saw huge increases in turbidity on the Puyallup River (around RM 23.3 (1 mile below Buckley dam))... White River Stream Gage looked normal. Fremont RSAM system shows two debris-flow-like signatures between 08/04/2018 17:20 - 08/04/2018 17:37:00, and 18:40:00 - 18:57:00.
From Seth Moran, USGS/CVO:
Just had a look at FMW, and absolutely, there is at least one minutes-long debris-flow signal between about 0020-0155 UTC on August 5 (which translates to 1720-1855 PDT). I've attached a FMW webicorder plot for that time period for reference. The most obvious one is between 0020-0037 (possibly started earlier), which has all the characteristics - gradual onset and decay, pulsatory, and very high frequency content (20 Hz and up). There's another pulse between 0145-0155 UTC which looks right except that the spectra is white w/ no high-frequency peaks - which makes me wonder if that signal is more radio noise than anything else. At any rate, I think there's at least one good candidate for a debris-flow signal at that time.
Primary surge:
http://rsam.morageology.com/rsam.php?stn=FMW&sd=2018-08-05T00%3A15%3A00&ed=2018-08-05T00%3A40&seiz=1
*** 2018-08-10 UPDATE ***
Paul and interns visited the Winthrop Glacier and Winthrop Creek - found no evidence of debris flow. Potential explanation is that the debris flow started from an area downstream of the glacier.
Event still being investigated.
Estimated Velocity:
Estimated Peak Flow:
Estimated Volume:
References:
Data references:
Beason, S.R., 2012, Small glacial outburst flood occurs on Mount Rainier - October 27, 2012: Unpublished National Park Service Science Brief, 3 p.
Beason, S.R., et al., in prep, Glacial outburst floods and debris flows from the South Tahoma Glacier, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington: August and September, 2015: National Park Service Natural Resource Report NPS/MORA/NRR-2015/XXX.
Copeland, E.A., 2010, Recent periglacial debris flows from Mount Rainier, Washington: M.S. Thesis, Oregon State University, 125 p.
Copeland, E.A., P.M. Kennard, A.W. Nolin, S.T. Lanscaster and G.E. Grant, 2008, Initiation of recent debris flows on Mount Rainier, Washington: A climate warming signal? American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA.
Crandell, D.R., 1971, Postglacial lahars from Mt. Rainier volcano, Washington: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 677, 75 p.
Donovan, K.H.M, 2005, An investigation into the 2003 Van Trump Creek debris flow, Mt. Rainier, Washington, United States of America: BSc Geological Hazards Thesis, University of Portsmouth (UK), 58 p.
Driedger, C.L. and A.G. Fountain, 1989, Glacier outburst floods at Mout Rainier, Washington State, USA: Anals of Glaciology, Vol. 13, 5 p.
Hodge, S., 1972, The movement and basal conditions of the Nisqually Glacier, Mount Rainier: Ph.D Thesis, Univeristy of Washington, xxx p.
Legg, N.T., 2013, Debris flows in glaciated catchments: A case study on Mount Rainier, Washington: M.S. Thesis, Oregon State University, 162 p.
Legg, N.T., A.J. Meigs, G.E. Grant and P.M. Kennard, 2014, Debris flow initiation in proglacial gullies on Mount Rainier, Washington: Geomorphology, Vol. 226, p. 249-260.
Richardson D., 1968, Glacier outburst floods in the Pacific Northwest: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 600-D, D79-D86.
Samora, B., 1991, Chronology of flood events as noted in the superintendent's annual reports 1940-1991, Unpublished Internal Document, Mount Rainier National Park, WA, 13 p.
Scott, K.M., J.W. Vallance, and P.T. Pringle, 1995, Sedimentology, behavior, and hazards of debris flows at Mount Rainier, Washington: United States Geological Survey Professional Paper 1547, 56 p.
Vallance, J.W., C.L. Driedger and W.E. Scott, 2002, Diversion of meltwater from Kautz Glacier initiates small debris flows near Van Trump Park, Mount Rainier, Washington: Washington Geology, Vol. 30, No. 1/2, p. 17-19.
Vallance, J.W., M.L. Cunico and S.P. Schilling, 2003, Debris-flow hazards caused by hydrologic events at Mount Rainier, Washington: United States Geological Survey Open-File Report 2003-368, 4 p.
Walder, J.S. and C.L. Driedger, 1994, Geomorphic changed caused by outburst floods and debris flows at Mount Rainier, Washington, with emphasis on Tahoma Creek valley: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 93-4093, 100 p.
Walder, J.S. and C.L. Driedger, 1994, Rapid geomorphic change caused by glacial outburst floods and debris flows along Tahoma Creek, Mount Rainier, Washington, USA: Arctic and Alpine Research, Vol. 26, No. 4, p. 319-327.
Walder, J.S. and C.L. Driedger, 1995, Frequent outburst floods from South Tahoma Glacier, Mount Rainier, USA: relation to debris flows, meterological origin and implications for subglacial hydrology: Journal of Glaciology, Vol. 41, No. 137, 11 p.