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#: 16
Date: Monday, October 20, 2003
Location: Van Trump Glacier
Glacier Name: Van Trump Glaciers
Drainage Basin: Van Trump Creek
Event Type: Debris Flow
Weather:
20.0 cm rain fall.
10-21-2003
Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center
Paradise, Mt Rainier National Park, Washington
MM/DD Hour Temp Wind Wind Wind Wind Hour Total 24 Hr Total
PST F Min Avg Max Dir Prec. Prec. Snow Snow
5500' 5500' 5500' 5500' 5500' 5500' 5500' 5500' 5500'
------------------------------------------------------------------
10 20 1400 54 4 14 31 274 .04 .04 -0 302
10 20 1500 53 4 13 28 277 0 .04 -0 302
10 20 1600 53 4 12 25 281 .03 .07 -0 302
10 20 1700 54 3 12 26 283 .2 .27 -0 302
10 20 1800 54 3 10 28 278 .15 .42 -0 302
10 20 1900 55 3 11 24 281 .08 .5 -0 302
10 20 2000 54 3 11 23 285 .13 .63 -0 302
10 20 2100 55 3 10 24 282 .29 .92 -0 302
10 20 2200 55 3 9 19 282 .24 1.16 -0 302
10 20 2300 55 3 9 16 281 .14 1.3 -0 302
10 21 0 54 3 9 25 280 .19 1.49 -0 302
10 21 100 54 2 8 20 280 .21 1.7 -0 302
10 21 200 54 2 8 16 279 .05 1.75 -0 302
10 21 300 54 3 9 18 286 .09 1.84 -0 302
10 21 400 54 3 10 18 286 .02 1.86 -0 302
10 21 500 54 2 10 25 285 .03 1.89 -0 302
10 21 600 54 3 9 18 282 0 1.89 -0 302
10 21 700 55 2 7 13 278 .03 1.92 -0 302
10 21 800 55 2 6 11 278 0 1.92 -0 302
10 21 900 55 2 6 11 278 0 1.92 -0 302
10 21 1000 58 1 5 11 272 0 1.92 -0 302
10 21 1100 57 1 5 10 272 0 1.92 -0 302
10 21 1200 57 2 4 7 264 0 1.92 -0 302
10 21 1300 59 0 1 5 254 0 1.92 0 302
1.92
Season: Wet
Notes:
Also noted: Rain on Snow event -1.92 inches from 10/20 1400 hrs. to 10/21 1400 hrs. water levels were higher than normal even with the creek being spread all across the floodplain. Kautz and Nisqually also running turbid
Estimated Velocity:
Estimated Peak Flow:
Estimated Volume:
References:
Copeland (2010)
Donovan (2005)
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Beason, S.R., 2012, Small glacial outburst flood occurs on Mount Rainier - October 27, 2012: Unpublished National Park Service Science Brief, 3 p.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.