00:06There is a volcano in America that scientists fear could cause one of the deadliest natural
00:12disasters in the country's modern history. Not because it's the biggest, not because it's erupting,
00:19and definitely not because of lava. In fact, the most terrifying thing about this volcano
00:26is that it doesn't even need to erupt to become a catastrophic. Right now, more than 90,000
00:33people live in areas that could be directly impacted if part of this mountain suddenly
00:39collapses. And if that happens, a massive torrent of mud, rock, ice, and debris could thunder down
00:47its slopes at speeds approaching 50 miles an hour. Fast enough to destroy neighborhoods,
00:53fast enough to bury roads and bridges, fast enough that some communities may have less than an hour
01:00to escape. And the mountain we are talking about? It's not Yellowstone. It's not Mount St. Helens.
01:07It's Mount Rainier, one of the most closely watched volcanoes on Earth.
01:20Over the last few weeks, Mount Rainier has once again found itself at the center of viral headlines.
01:26Stories began circulating online suggesting unusual activity beneath the volcano. Some reports pointed to
01:34tremors. Others hinted at possible warning signs. And naturally, one question began spreading everywhere.
01:43Is Mount Rainier about to erupt? The answer, according to the United States Geological Survey
01:49and the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, is no. Rainier remains at normal alert status.
01:58No eruption warning has been issued. No evidence suggests magma is rising towards the surface.
02:04No significant ground deformation has been detected.
02:08In short, scientists are not warning about an imminent eruption. But here's the thing,
02:15that doesn't actually make this story any less concerning. Because the reason experts worry about
02:22Rainier isn't necessarily what comes out of the volcano. It what comes down from it.
02:36Rainier is different, you need to understand the mountain itself. Standing more than 14,400 feet tall,
02:44Mount Rainier dominates the Washington skyline. But what makes it unique isn't its height,
02:50it's the ice. Rainier contains more glacier ice than any peak in the lower 48 United States.
02:58Massive glaciers wrapped around the volcano. Millions of tons of snow and ice cover its slopes
03:04year round. Combine that with steep valleys, loose volcanic rock, underground heat, flowing water,
03:12and centuries of geological instability. What you get is the perfect setup for a disaster most people
03:20have never heard of. A lahar. Imagine mixing together water, volcanic ash, boulders, trees, ice, mud,
03:37entire chunks of a mountain. Now send it racing downhill at highway speeds. That's a lahar.
03:45Scientists often compare them to flowing concrete. Except concrete doesn't destroy everything for miles.
03:52Historically, lahars at Rainier have traveled at speeds approaching 50 miles per hour. They can
03:58flatten forests, destroy bridges, rip apart roads, and bury entire areas beneath massive amounts of debris.
04:08The truly frightening part? They don't always require an eruption.
04:12Many people assume a volcano has to explode before disaster strikes.
04:18That's not necessarily true. Sometimes all it takes is part of the mountain collapsing.
04:24Gravity does the risk. And Rainier has a history of exactly that.
04:37Around 500 years ago, Mount Rainier produced what scientists now call the electron mud flow.
04:45Researchers believe a large section of weakened rock collapsed from the volcano. The resulting lahar
04:52surge down river valleys for dozens of miles. And here's what's unsettling. Many modern communities in
05:00western Washington now sit directly on top of deposits left behind by ancient lahars. The evidence
05:07is literally beneath their feet. Think about that. Entire neighborhoods exist today because previous mud
05:15floors reshaped the landscape centuries ago. The mountain has already shown us what it's capable of.
05:22The question isn't whether lahars can happen. The question is when the next major one will.
05:35This is why Mount Rainier is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in America. Not because of what
05:42sits on the mountain, but of who lives below it. According to Hazard assessments, more than 90,000
05:50people live inside potential lahar zones. Thousands more work there every day. Schools, businesses, factories,
05:58major highways, railroads, power infrastructure, entire communities all located downstream.
06:07And unlike many natural disasters, there may be very little time to react. Depending on where a collapse
06:14begins, some communities could have less than an hour before large lahar arrives. For those closest to the
06:22volcano, the timeline could be even shorter.
06:32So what happens if a major lahar begins tomorrow? Scientists wouldn't be completely blind. For decades,
06:40rainier has been monitored by one of the most advanced volcanic warning systems in North America.
06:46Sensors track earthquakes, ground movement, gas emission, and even the movement of debris flows.
06:53If a major lahar is detected, emergency alerts can be transmitted almost immediately. Sirens sound,
07:01officials activate emergency plans, schools begin evacuations, entire communities move towards higher
07:08ground, but warning systems only by time. And time is the only thing a fast-moving lahar doesn't give much
07:16off.
07:18Right now, Mount Rainier is quiet. Scientists are not wanting an imminent eruption. The volcano remains
07:26under normal monitoring status. But the reason experts continue watching it so closely has never changed.
07:42The next major threat from Mount Rainier may not begin with an explosion. No fire, no ash cloud,
07:50no dramatic Hollywood eruption. Just a mountain moving downhill. And if that day comes, it could become one of the
07:58most destructive volcanic disasters modern America has ever seen.
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