Tephra Studies
Preliminary Results
Over the past decade, Kevin Scott (CVO-USGS) and Dave Tucker (WWU) have been gradually mapping out distributions of Holocene tephras at Mount Baker. Microprobe chemistry, thickness, grain size, many 14C dates have been obtained. A manuscript will be submitted for publication shortly. Some details have appeared in various abstracts by Scott and Tucker (see references below). Three post-glacial eruptive periods have been defined, in part based on the ages of these tephra deposits. More information on these results is in the attached document.
Ptarmigan Ridge Fieldwork
These photos were taken on Ptarmigan Ridge, 11 km NE of Sherman Crater. The upper photo shows a number of tephras found on the flanks of Mount Baker. It is pretty hard to do field work in solitude along the popular trails of Mount Baker, as the second photo shows. Here, Dave Tucker, lying down, points to tephra in the pit while a family of backpackers ask questions. Dave Lewis, center, and Kevin Scott, in the orange shirt, help with explanations. We have found that the public is almost always curious to know what we are up to.
