Volcanoes: Mount Shasta
Mount Shasta provides beautiful views to the small mountain communities that surround it. But the possibility of an eruption has these villages preparing for the worst.
Mount Shasta is the second highest volcano in the United States, and one of the tallest peaks in the Cascade Range. Though there is just one mountain, it is actually made up of a handful of volcanic vents (where lava could someday erupt from).
It is a relatively young volcano. But it was actually formed on earlier volcanic mountains that have been erupting in this area for the last 600,000 years.
According to geologists, there is a one in four or one in three chance that Mount Shasta could erupt in our lifetimes.
Even now, the mountain experiences constant volcanic activity – though it is not strong enough for most people to notice.
The most recent eruption occurred about 200 years ago – and it was so large that it caused a huge tsunami in Japan, several thousand miles away.
Despite the chance that the volcano could erupt, Mount Shasta remains a popular tourist destination.
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