Mount Baker Volcano

Updated: May 1, 2025 12:02 GMT - refresh

stratovolcano

Washington State (Canada and USA (mainland)), 48.78°N / -121.81°W

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Summit height: 3285 m / 10,777 ft

Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)

Mt Baker 50 km east of Bellingham, Washington, is the northernmost of Washington's volcanoes and one of the lesser known ones in the Cascade Range.
Mt Baker Volcano has been very active during the last centuries, but has been in repose now for more than 130 years.
Early settlers in the Puget Sound region observed 19th-century activity, which consisted of relatively small phreatic eruptions. Sherman Crater, the historically active crater immediately south of the summit, started to emit steam since 1975, but no other signs suggest a reawakening in the near future.
The main hazard from Mt Baker are lahars, caused by melting of glacial ice covering the upper slopes. Baker is drained in the north by North Fork Nooksack River, in the west by Middle Fork Nooksack River, and east by Baker River. These valley are at risk of such lahars in case of a new eruption.
The eruption in 1843 killed fish in Baker River, ignited forest and caused minor ash fall in nearby areas. Steam emissions continued at the Sherman Crater and Dorr fumarole field on the north flank until the 1940's and 1950's.

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Mount Baker webcams / live data | News/Updates | Earthquakes

Typical eruption style: Explosive
Mount Baker volcano eruptions: 1884(?), 1880, 1870, 1869(?), 1867(?), 1865(?), 1863, 1860(?), 1859-60, 1858, 1856(?), 1854, 1852-53, 1850(?), 1846(?), 1843, 1820(?), 1792

Latest nearby earthquakes

Date and Time	Mag / Depth	Distance / Location
Apr 29, 11:17 pm (Universal Time)	0.4 4.2 km	22 km (13 mi) to the SE	19 km NNW of Marblemount, Washington	Info

View recent quakes

Background

Mount Baker is an andesitic stratovolcano constructed above the east flank of an older eroded volcano (Black Buttes volcano) and SW of the early Pleistocene 4.5 x 8 km rhyodacitic Kulshan caldera.
The Schreibers Meadow cinder cone on the SE flank erupted about 9800 years ago. All other historic activity within the past 10,000 years seem to have taken place on the summit vent. A major magmatic eruption at Mount Baker occurred about 6500 years ago. It was followed by caldera collapse and left large lahar deposits in the Nooksack river valley.

Significant volcanic eruptions: Mount Baker volcano

In the past 10,000 years, Mount Baker has had at least 11 confirmed volcanic eruptions, out of which 9 are documented by historical records, while the others can be inferred from geological evidence.
Additionally, there are 9 uncertain or discredited eruptions from Mount Baker volcano.

The table below lists all known eruptions (date in bold face) of Mount Baker volcano in historic times and during the past 10,000 years. Updates on the most recent volcanic activity of Mount Baker can be found on the news page of Mount Baker volcano.

Date	Note	VEI
?? 1884	Uncertain Eruption	?
1880 Sep 7 - Nov 27	Sherman Crater Historical obs./docs.	2
1870	Sherman Crater Historical obs./docs.	2
?? 1869 Jun	Uncertain Eruption	?
?? 1867 Mar	Uncertain Eruption	?
?? 1865	Uncertain Eruption	?
1863 Jul	Sherman Crater Historical obs./docs.	2
?? 1860 Dec	Uncertain Eruption	?
1859 Nov - 1860 Apr 26 ?	Sherman Crater Historical obs./docs.	2
1858	Sherman Crater Historical obs./docs.	2
?? 1856	Uncertain Eruption	?
1854	Sherman Crater Historical obs./docs.	2
1852 Dec 1 ±30 d. - 1853 Jan	Sherman Crater Historical obs./docs.	2
?? 1850 Mar	Uncertain Eruption	?
?? 1846	Uncertain Eruption	?
1843	Sherman Crater Historical obs./docs.	3?
1820 ?	Historical obs./docs.	2
?? 1792 Jun	Uncertain Eruption	?
4550 ? BC	Sherman Crater?	3?
7850 ? BC	South flank (Schreibers Meadow Cone)	?

Remark:

Our list of volcanic eruptions closely follows the database of eruptions of the Smithsonian's Global Volcanism Project (GVP), the internationally most recognized data source for volcanic eruptions, but also includes significant eruptive episodes or related volcano events. "Volcanic eruptions" are usually to be understood as sequences of individual eruptive episodes that can follow each other, or even overlap (if several vents are involved), and can last many years, decades or even longer. For example, the current activity of Stromboli volcano is understood as a single eruption that has been ongoing since 1934.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Volcanic Eruptions Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K | Global Volcanism Project / Smithsonian Institution

Mount Baker Volcano FAQ

+When was the last eruption of Mount Baker volcano?

The last confirmed eruption of Mount Baker occurred in 1880.

+How often does Mount Baker volcano erupt?

Since 1820, Mount Baker volcano has had at least 9 historically documented eruptions. This means that it erupts on average every 22.8 years.
Many eruptions of Mount Baker have lasted more than one year. In total, the volcano has been in eruption during 11 out of 205 years until now. In other words, Mount Baker has been active at least one in 18.6 years on average. Note that this value is likely an underestimate, because the known history of eruptions from Mount Baker is likely incomplete, especially further back in time.

+When was the largest eruption of Mount Baker volcano?

The largest eruption of Mount Baker volcano in historic times occurred in 1843. It ranks as a "vulcanian" eruption with a magnitude 3 on the VEI (Volcanic Explosivity Index) scale.

Latest satellite images

See also: Sentinel hub | Landsat 8 | NASA FIRMS

Latest satellite images

Mount Baker Volcano Maps

Below is a selection of maps showing the location and surroundings of the volcano at various resolutions based on aerial-imagery / terrain maps. Feel free to use them for non-commercial purposes on your blog or website as long as you credit them with a link back to this page (click to copy it).