Restless Mountain

When citizens of Bellingham, Wash., first saw great clouds of smoke rising at least two miles above Mount Baker, 30 miles east of the city, some thought that there must be a forest fire. But that was in March, and the smoking has not stopped since. One of a dozen major volcanoes in the western U.S., the 10,778-ft. Mount Baker is now venting several thousand pounds of sulfurous gases and debris every hour. Right below the mountain's summit, the 1,600-ft.-wide crater is so thick with fumes that geologists can enter only with gas masks. Does this spectacular activity foreshadow the first major eruption in the lower U.S. in a half-century? U.S. Geological Survey scientists refuse to speculate. "Some volcanoes erupt with hardly any warning," explains Geologist Mark F. Meier. "Others puff for a while, then fade back to obscurity."

Closed to Hikers. In either case, scientists are not taking any chance with Mount Baker. They are regularly monitoring the volcano's activities from planes and helicopters and by remote instruments at the crater. The devices automatically signal any local tremors or changes in the character of the outpouring gases, both possible signs of imminent flows of lava from deep within the earth. Meanwhile, to protect the curious who have already descended on the area, the U.S. Forest Service has closed off the crater area to hikers and campers.

Although Mount Baker has not erupted in more than 100 years, USGS geologists say that it is not the only U.S. volcano that presents a threat. After studying the extensive volcanic deposits around Mount St. Helens in southwestern Washington, they warned that it could erupt again before the end of the century. Even if no such outburst occurs at Mount Baker, say the scientists, the mountain's heat could melt enough snow and ice on its slopes to cause dangerous mud slides and floods.

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