Question

Explain why an eruption of Mount Rainier similar to the 1980 eruption of Mt. St Helens could be considerably more destructive.

Answer 1

However, owing to the volcano's great height and widespread cover of snow and glacier ice, eruption triggered debris flows (lahars) at Mount Rainier are likely to be much larger--and will travel a greater distance--than those at Mount St. Helens in 1980.

Step-by-step explanation:

Answer 2

An eruption of Mount Rainier similar to the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens could be more destructive due to its larger size, glacier system, and proximity to populated areas.

Step-by-step explanation:

An eruption of Mount Rainier similar to the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens could be considerably more destructive due to several factors. Firstly, Mount Rainier is taller than Mount St. Helens, standing at 14,411 feet compared to 8,363 feet. This means that a larger volume of ash and volcanic material could potentially be ejected during an eruption.

Additionally, Mount Rainier has a larger ice cap and glacier system compared to Mount St. Helens, which means that there would be a greater potential for glacier meltwater to mix with volcanic material and trigger lahars (mudflows) that can travel long distances and cause significant destruction.

Finally, Mount Rainier is located closer to populated areas, including the Seattle metropolitan area. An eruption of Mount Rainier could result in ashfall, pyroclastic flows, lahars, and lahars dam breaches, posing a greater risk to human life and infrastructure.