FALL/WINTER2016
MLCM
87
10kilometres down the valley, registering2.6on
theRichter Scale. In summer 2016, experts began
looking atMeager again.Volcanic openings known
as fumaroles—which vent poisonous hydrogen
sulfide gas—were spottedon the long-dormant
volcano, possibly exposedby thinning glacial
ice.Geologistswerenowmonitoring the area
for increased seismic activity—key signof an
upcoming eruption. Regardless, ongoinghazards
relating to combined volcanic and glacial activity
make this zone one of themost active in the
NorthAmericanCordillera. And the hazardmay
increasewith climate change: cracks extendup to
themountain’s summit, and aswarmingproceeds,
glacialmelt reaches deep into themassif to flow
along ruptured surfaces, creating landslide zones.
Just like at theBarrier.
Onaday inmid-May
,
SteveQuane and I begin
the 10-kilometre hike toGaribaldi Lake. Sitting
at 1,470metres, snowcover around the lake seems
as indeterminate as aweather forecast calling for
maybe sun,maybenot…we strap snowshoes to
our packs just in case.
Adedicated trail runner,Quane sets a blistering
upwardpace.Thoughpressed tokeepup, the
conversationoverridesmyprotesting legs.Quane
is studying the lake’s literal ups-and-downswith
amind tonatural hazards in a changing climate,
and todaywe’re ascending800metres to check
some remote data stations.Quane’swork covers
the how andwhyof volcanic landforms; hemmed
by volcanoes,Garibaldi Lake owes its formation to
just suchprocesses.
Some 9,000–11,000 years ago, with the
CheakamusValley still occupiedbywaning
Pleistocene glaciers, lava flows out ofClinker Peak
on the shoulder ofMount Pricewere haltedby the
ice, coolinghard against it.When the ice retreated,
the lava remained, a 300-metre cliff towering
high above theCheakamus; the backside of the
kilometre-thick flow acted as a dambehindwhich
meltwater pooled to formGaribaldi Lake—hence
“theBarrier” todescribe it.Thesedays, the lake is
Tim Emmett ice climbing the lava flowbowl of Brandywine Falls. Fire and Ice. JIMMARTINELLO
TheJuandeFucaplatehas
been subductinghere,pushing
under theNorthAmericanplate
to form theGaribaldiVolcanic
Belt,extensionof theCascade
Volcanoes of theUSPacific
Northwest.
