Fire Mountains of the West: The Cascade and Mono Lake Volcanoes (Roadside Geology) [Paperback]

Stephen L. Harris (Author)

Book Description

Series: Roadside Geology | Publication Date: June 2003

The recent volcanic activity at Mount St. Helens is a continuing reminder of the explosive power of our western volcanoes. Fire Mountains of the West: The Cascade and Mono Lake Volcanoes is Stephen Harris s completely revised, thoroughly researched account of the volatile history and deadly potential of volcanoes spanning the West from California to southwestern British Columbia. Fire Mountains of the West is intended for the general reader with an interest in the geologic forces that shape our western mountainscape. It begins with an introduction to volcanoes, the processes that create them, and the glaciers that sculpt them. The heart of the book is a fascinating biography of each of the major volcanoes of the West. From the subterranean lava tube caves of the Medicine Lake volcano to the fire-and-ice formation of Mount Garibaldi, from the cataclysmic collapse of Crater Lake to the incinerating blast of modern Mount St. Helens, and from deadly volcanic gas presently killing trees at Mammoth Mountain to massive mudflows waiting to burst from Mount Rainier, Stephen Harris brings to life in dynamic, crystal-clear language the geologic story behind each of the major volcanoes of the Cascade Range and Mono Lake area. Dramatic photos and illuminating maps and diagrams graphically illustrate the features of these magnificent mountains. A brief section at the end of each chapter gives directions and descriptions for those visiting the volcano. Harris also offers a careful appraisal of the prospects of each for future eruptions some of which may be more devastating to human life and property that any in the past. The book ends with a hypothetical account of a future eruption at Mount Shasta. With a rare ability to describe geologic processes in layperson s terms and elegant prose, Harris inspires in readers great respect and awe for the rugged beauty as well as the violent potential of these majestic fire mountains.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This well-illustrated volume is probably the best introduction available concerning the geology, history, and hazards of each of the West's potentially eruptive volcanoes." --Natural Hazards Observer --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Stephen L. Harris grew up in western Washington where the views of Mount Rainier, with its mantle of glacial ice and steaming summit crater, inspired a life-long interest in the eruptive potential of the Cascade volcanoes. During the last several decades Harris has experienced intimately some of nature's most spectacular powers. He has climbed over, under, and inside active glaciers, scaled icy mountains to camp inside steaming craters, shuddered with the thrill of the earth trembling beneath his feet, and viewed a death-dealing volcanic eruption at close range. In 1976 he published Fire and Ice, the first book devoted to surveying the geologic history and assessing the volcanic hazards of each major peak in the Cascade Range. Pursuing an avocation in geology, Harris has also published Agents of Chaos (Mountain Press, 1990), which deals with earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, and other natural disasters. He contributed the section on geologic hazards to Restless Earth (National Geographic Books, 1997) and the chapter on Archaeology and Volcanism to the Encyclopedia of Volcanoes (Academic Press, 2000). A Woodrow Wilson Fellow at Cornell University, where he received his MA and PhD in English literature, Harris is now a professor emeritus of humanities and religious studies at California State University, Sacramento. While teaching at CSUS, Harris created and taught a survey course called Volcanoes and the Human Environment. His regular column, Western Geology Illustrated, appeared in American West for six years, and he wrote several articles on volcanic and earthquake hazards in the West for Columbia and Pacific Northwest magazines. He has frequently appeared on local and national television, including four interviews on ABC s Nightline with Ted Koppel. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 390 pages
• Publisher: Mountain Press Publishing Company (June 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 087842220X
• ISBN-13: 978-0878422203
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,249,227 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An journey through the volcanic, snow-capped Cascades., December 22, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Seattle, Washington) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fire Mountains of the West: The Cascade and Mono Lake Volcanoes (Roadside Geology) (Paperback)

An excellent, cautionary primer on the volcanic mountains of the Cascades, Stephen Harris' "Fire Mountains of the West," spends a chapter on each volcano of the Cascade Range, lovingly detailing each peak, or former peak, in layman's terms and an adventurer's spirit. The book's scope stretches from the Mono Lakes Region just east of Yosemite National Park, to the southernmost Cascades in California: Lassen Peak and Mt. Shasta, to the weathered and eroded peaks of Central and Southern Oregon, like the Three Sisters and Mt. Thielsen. Along the way we also meet former giants of the region, like the former Mt. Mazama, now Crater Lake in Southern Oregon, which destroyed itself in a catastrophic series of blasts hundreds of years ago, sending the peak collapsing in on itself, and forming the present-day caldera. Mt. Jefferson and the graceful Mt. Hood near Portland make appearances during the trip north, as we cross the Columbia and come face to face with the sleeping giants of the Northwest, Mt. Adams and Mt. Rainier, as well as the currently active Mt. St. Helens. Harris gives each mountain its own personality and traits, and warns of the obvious dangers these mountains present today, not only in the form of volcanic explosions, but also in the form of pyroclastic flows and superheated, ash-laden mudflows, similar to those that roared down the Cowlitz and Toutle River Valleys in Southwest Washington following the St. Helens eruption in 1980. The journey finishes with the steam plumes at Sherman Crater on Mt. Baker, and Mt. Garibaldi in British Columbia. Essential reading for any hiker, outdoor enthusiast, closet geologist, or those longing for unique Northwest road trips. Some impressive photographs of the 1914 eruption of Lassen Peak in California highlight the book as well.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is awesome., August 6, 2003

By 

mcsidious (Kitsap County, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fire Mountains of the West: The Cascade and Mono Lake Volcanoes (Roadside Geology) (Paperback)

Dr. Harris has provided an outstanding guide to the Cascades here. He provides wonderful detail on all the big Cascade volcanoes from Garibaldi to Lassen, and covers Mono Lake/Long Valley, a geologically unstable area that deserves far more attention, as a bonus. Especially welcome is his information on Glacier Peak and Newberry, two of the most overlooked volcanoes of the Northwest. The geological detail is mid-range; Harris explains the chemical composition of different types of lava but does not overwhelm readers with charts and graphs.

Harris sometimes crosses over into the realm of tour guide, as he provides basic instructions on how to visit and climb the Cascade volcanoes, and he provides welcome information about the prehistoric and modern histories of the mountains, including the stories about how they got their many names (the story behind Mount Adams is great). Also included is a wealth of information about glaciers and the conflict between 'fire and ice.' However, this book is primarily designed to be a lesson about the nature of the 'fire mountains,' and there Harris succeeds on every level.

If you are remotely interested in geology, like to hike or climb in the Pacific Northwest, or simply live there yourself, you ought to know the story and potential of Rainier, Hood, St. Helens, and their kin. This is especially true if you have Hood or Rainier as a neighbor! Highest possible reccomendation.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative Read, March 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Fire Mountains of the West: The Cascade and Mono Lake Volcanoes (Roadside Geology) (Paperback)

"Fire Mountains of the West" is a well-done account of the volcanoes of the Cascade chain, plus the Mono Lake/Long Valley caldera. I enjoyed each chapeter--indeed have read some two or three times (Mt. Hood and Crater Lake, of course!). The text incorporates all the volconologic knowledge of the 'Cades volcanoes to date (1988 for my copy). This would be a good book for the beginning reader of volcanoes, as well as the more informed home volcanologist. As an artist, I appreciated Chris Hunter's careful line drawings, which depicted the volcanoes, some of the prehistorical eruptions (Mazama), and detailed geological maps. All in all, a book that's worth every cent.