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Physical
Mount Hood
Mount Hood is an active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range and, at 11,249 feet, the highest mountain in Oregon.
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The idea
Mount Hood is an active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range and part of the Cascade Volcanic Arc. It formed over a subduction zone along the Pacific Coast. It stands about 50 miles from Portland, to the east and a little south, on the border between Clackamas and Hood River counties. At 11,249 feet, it is the highest mountain in Oregon and the fourth highest in the Cascade Range.
The peak holds 12 named glaciers and snowfields. Its summit is made of several lava domes of andesite or dacite that glaciers have worn down. The volcano has had at least four major eruptive periods in the past 15,000 years. It is considered the Oregon volcano most likely to erupt. The odds of an eruption in the next 30 years are estimated at between 3 and 7%.
Timberline Lodge, a National Historic Landmark, stands on the south side of the mountain at about 6,000 feet. Several ski areas share the upper slopes, and much of the land outside them is protected as the Mount Hood Wilderness. The Cooper Spur Trail climbs to 8,510 feet, the highest point on the mountain that hikers can reach without climbing gear.
Check yourself
Question 1 of 2
How high is the summit of Mount Hood?
Composition
what it's made of
- Summit Lava Domes — Several glacier-worn domes of andesite or dacite form the summit area.
- Glaciers and Snowfields — Twelve named glaciers and snowfields cover the upper mountain.
- Timberline Lodge — A National Historic Landmark on the mountain's south side, at about 6,000 feet.
- Ski Areas — Timberline, Mount Hood Meadows, Ski Bowl and Cooper Spur are among the ski areas on its slopes.
- Mount Hood Wilderness — Much of the mountain outside the ski areas is protected wilderness.
Connection
how it relates
Change
how and why it evolves
- Past
- Its last major eruption came in 1781 to 1782, during an eruptive period that built dacite lava domes. On October 29, 1792, Lt. William Broughton of George Vancouver's expedition named the mountain after the British admiral Samuel Hood.
- Now
- The U.S. Geological Survey calls Mount Hood potentially active, though the mountain is informally considered dormant. Since 2020, three monitoring stations on the mountain have watched for signs of volcanic activity.
- Next
- Scientists will likely keep watching its earthquakes, gas vents and glaciers for warning signs, since glaciers could feed dangerous mudflows in a future eruption.