Researchers say this massive volcano in the United States will one day erupt once more

Jul 17, 2014 09:05 GMT  ·  By

Curiosity might go around killing cats every now and then, but when it comes to scientists, being exquisitely inquisitive more often than not pays off in the best of ways. Unless one's name happens to be Marie Curie, that is.

Not to beat about the bush, geophysicist Phil Wannamaker and fellow researchers can now strut around telling everybody about how they managed to document Mount Rainier's anatomy in unprecedented detail.

In a paper published in yesterday's issue of the journal Nature, the researchers explain that, in order to gain a better understanding of this massive volcano's deep plumbing, they analyzed seismic waves in the region.

Besides, they took the time to research the behavior of electrical and magnetic fields in the ground in Mount Rainer's proximity. The scientists did so because such fields fluctuate depending on the makeup of the rocks and fluids they encounter.

Data obtained in this manner led the researchers to the conclusion that at least part of the molten magma reservoir fueling this massive volcano in the US sits at a distance of about 6 to 10 miles (9.6 to 16 kilometers) from Mount Rainier.

This find does not exclude the possibility that the volcano's main magma chamber sits directly under the volcano's peak, and that what the researchers documented in a northwest direction is merely a lobe extending from it, Phys Org informs.

The reservoir documented towards the northwest is estimated to be about 5 to 10 miles (8 to 16 kilometers) thick and measure roughly the same across. Geophysicist Phil Wannamaker and colleagues say it is located at a depth of 5 miles (8 kilometers).

This magma chamber is argued to resemble a sponge as far as its anatomy is concerned. What they mean is that it is chiefly made up of hot, soft rock that accommodates for pockets of molten material. The molten rock likely accounts for 30% of the chamber.

According to University of Utah researcher Phil Wannamaker, the molten material found in this magma chamber originates from depths of about 50 miles (80 kilometers), where one of our planet's seafloor crustal plates is diving under the North America plate.

Commenting on the outcome of this study, the geophysicist wished to stress the fact that “This is the most direct image yet capturing the melting process that feeds magma into a crustal reservoir that eventually is tapped for eruptions.”

By the looks of it, Mount Rainier is expected to one day erupt once more. Unfortunately, Phil Wannamaker and colleagues say that not even their detailed picture of this massive volcano's entrails can help predict when this might happen.