Mount Baker, a massive active stratovolcano crowned by ten glaciers

Within the territory of the United States, there are more than 160 active volcanoes, 18 of which are classified as posing a very high level of danger.

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In Washington State, in the northwest of the "Lower 48" (as the country's 48 contiguous states are known—that is, all except Alaska and Hawaii) there are five major volcanoes: Mount St. Helens, Mount Rainier, Mount Baker, Glacier Peak, and Mount Adams.

Mount Baker has an elevation of 3,286 meters above sea level. It is located near the Canadian border, about 167 kilometers from the city of Seattle. It is an active volcano, and due to its conical shape and great height, it is classified as a stratovolcano. Its last eruption occurred between September and November 1880, although it has not experienced any highly explosive eruptions for about 14,000 years. The earliest documented eruption of this volcano took place in 1792 and was recorded by two distinguished mariners of the Spanish Navy: Dionisio Alcalá Galiano and Cayetano Valdés.

This volcano is crowned by a total of ten glaciers, the largest of which is the Coleman Glacier, located on its western slope and covering an area of ​​over 5 square kilometers. Mount Baker is the volcano with the second-highest number of glaciers in the Cascade Range. The first is Mount Rainier, which has 25 glaciers surrounding it. If you would like a closer look at Mount Baker but don’t have the chance to visit in person, I encourage you to watch this excellent video about the volcano, published by Kyle Kotajarvi:

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Main photo Angela Thomas.