Transcript Mount Rainier - Cook/Lowery15

Mount Rainier
National Park
BY: ETHAN H.
Location of Mount Rainier National
Park
Mount Rainier
National Park is
Located in
Washington
(not DC)
Relief Map Mount Rainier National
Park
Winthrop
Glacier
Emmons
Glacier
The peak
of Mount
Rainier
Tahoma
Glacier
Cowlitz Glacier
Nisqually Glacier
The History of Mount Rainier
National Park

Mount Rainier National Park was established on March 2, 1899.

Mount Rainier National Park covers 236,381.49 acres or 369.35
square miles.

John Muir suggested that Mount Rainier should become a national
park because of its beautiful wildflowers.

Mount Rainier is a active volcano that last erupted between 1820
and 1894.
How was Mount Rainier formed?
Mount Rainier was formed by a series
of volcanic eruptions and smaller lava
flows over the last 40 million years!
Water runoff from annual rain and
snowfall has eroded Mount Rainier to
its current form.
Types of rock found on Mount Rainier
The magma that flows out of Mount
Rainier is Andesite. Andesite is an
igneous volcanic rock with a high silica
content.
Two other rock types are found with
the Andesite. These are:
Basalt - a dark-colored, fine-grained,
igneous rock
Rhyolite - an igneous, volcanic rock
with a glassy appearance
How is Mount Rainier Changing?
Mount Rainier is constantly changing
due to the glaciers. The glaciers are
changing the volcano in two ways.
First, by eroding at the surface of the
rock. Second, as the glaciers move
they break rocks off and use them to
scrape at the surface. These changes
make the volcano smaller (1000 feet
shorter in 6000 years) and create
different landforms.
Glacier movement
Special landforms of Mount Rainier
National Park
Mount Rainier has numerous glaciers
that shape the land to what it is now.
These landforms include cirques (deep
bowl shaped holes), horns (peaks) and
aretes (ridges).
Some cirque lakes include:
- Tipsoo
- Crescent
- Mowich
There are 5 primary glaciers in the park:
- Tahoma – most majestic
- Emmons (largest)
- Winthrop (2nd largest)
- Cowlitz – currently retreating
- Nisqually - fastest moving (29 inches per day!)
Environmental issues affecting
Mount Rainier
Nitrogen and sulfur from air pollution
may collect in lakes and streams and
be harmful to wildlife and plants in the
area.
Scientists continually study the effects
of climate change on the glaciers and
impact on the park ecosystems.
Technology preserving Mount
Rainier National Park
Scientists use drones to take aerial
photos. They use specialized software
to combine these photos with satellite
images and compare them to
historical photos. This gives scientists a
history of change in glacier length,
area, debris cover, etc.
Bibliography
Https://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/national_parks/mount_rainier_map.jpg.
N.d. Www.lib.utexas.edu. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.
N.d. Www.worldeasyguides.com. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.
United States. National Park Service. "Frequently Asked Questions."
National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, 16 Nov. 2015.
Web. 19 Nov. 2015.
NPS: Nature & Science» Geology Resources Division. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2015.
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/progress/jb_progress_rainier_1.html
"Mt. Rainier National Park - Glaciers and Glacier Change - References." Mt.
Rainier National Park - Glaciers and Glacier Change - References. N.p., n.d.
Web. 18 Jan. 2016.
"Glacier Research on Mt. Rainier." Glacier Research on Mt. Rainier.
N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2015.