The Glacial History of Mount Shasta

1883 USGS Map of the Glaciers on Mount Shasta

Location
A Brief Geologic History
Pleistocene Glaciation
Holocene Glaciation
Existing Glaciers
Konwakiton Glacier Jökulhlaups
Bibliography
Italicized words in Glossary

This web presentation is an overview of the material covering the glacial history of Mount Shasta. Surprisingly few academic papers have been published regarding this topic. The scarcity of publications about glaciation on Mount Shasta is mostly because Holocene volcanic deposits cover much of the Pleistocene and early Holocene glacial deposits, but the fact that Mount Shasta is not located close to major universities is also a contributing factor. Most of the information presented below is gleaned from local papers and materials available in the Mount Shasta Collection of the College of the Siskiyous library. There is a host of photographs in the collection which will be of value to those who can interpret them.

Mount Shasta is located near the southern terminus of the Cascade Range in northern California. At 14,162 feet, is is the tallest peak for hundreds of miles around. Mount Rainier, the tallest peak in the Cascade Range at 14,410 feet, is 380 miles to the north. White Mountain Peak, with a height of 14,246 feet, is about 340 miles to the southeast. Mount Shasta rises nearly 11,000 feet above the valley floor, making it visible for over a hundred miles, but the mountainous terrain often blocks its view.

Location Brief Geology Pleistocene Holocene Glaciers Jökulhlaups Bibliography Glossary

This page prepared for Earth Science 767 Quaternary Geology
taught by James S. Aber at Emporia State University