Greater Seattle Area - Tectonics, Mountains, Shields and Platforms

Juan de Fuca Plate is a part of the Ring of Fire. It used to be part of a much larger plate known as the Farallon Plate. (Farallon Plate) This plate has nearly subducted underneath the North American Plate. The Juan de Fuca Plate is much smaller and is actively subducting underneath the North American Plate. 

If you look at the pictures below, you will notice the volcanism and mountain range being created as a result of these convergent plates coming together with the oceanic crust subducting underneath the continental crust. As a result, the GSA experiences several earthquakes each year. In the past month, two earthquakes have been recorded. You can track these at: http://earthquaketrack.com/r/seattle-tacoma-area-washington/recent


Columbia Plateau and Cascade Range Volcanism

Juan de Fuca Plate

Cascade Range

To the east lies the Cascade Range, a result of the Juan de Fuca subduction (Cascade Volcano Observatory). As the plate is subducted, a chain of volcanoes formed from the rising flow of magma, erupting along the subduction area. Some of these famous volcanoes include Mount St. Helens, Mount Rainier, Mount Baker and Glacier Peak. Tourists travel year-round to get a glimpse of the magnificent, yet deadly volcanoes. After you have reached the heart of parks and glance around at the beauty surrounding the volcano, it is difficult to imagine the actual result if it were to erupt. The beauty makes you forget for a short period of time. Mount Rainier reaches 14,410 ft at it's highest.

In the pictures below, located in the Paradise Jackson Visitor area of Mount Rainier, is Myrtle Falls. The lush greenery is also filled with many wildflowers. The beauty is extremely elusive to the danger that lurks beneath the surface of the earth. These were taken in September 2012.        

Olympic Mountains

To the west lies the Olympic Peninsula. It contains several ecosystems over a relatively small region. For this post, I am going to concentrate on the Olympic Mountains located within Olympic National Park. The park contains a little over 1400 square miles right in the middle of the peninsula. Mount Olympus sits at the highest point just short of 8,000 ft. The formation of the mountains is still under debate. Most agree that a sudden uprising of the crust formed the mountains as chunk of the crust broke off. It folded and smashed into the continent forming the Olympic Mountains. It is mainly composed of basalt, shale, and sandstone; and also contains marine fossils, National Geographic: Olympic National Park.  The mountains were separated from the continent during the glacial period of the Pleistocene, Olympic National Park, and were jaggedly carved by the many glaciers and rivers that whittle down the landscape. Glaciers still sit atop these mountains. Even the coastline is full of twisted, jagged terrain.

The pictures below are from Ruby Beach in March 2013. As you can see, there are sharp, large rock formations on the coastline of the peninsula. My son is standing on the boulder to demonstrate how massive these rocks really are, and well, also to show he wasn't afraid to climb them.

   

The pictures below are from Kalaloch Beach in September 2012. The terrain along the coast is extremely steep, with columnar formations jutting out of the crust in different areas. They are extremely large, as you compare them to the tiny person (again, my son - who tends to be my assistant on many of these trips) climbing on them.

   

Again, I tried to stick with just covering the plate tectonics and the results (mountains, volcanoes, etc) of the subduction of those plates. There is so much more to these areas, but that information doesn't really fall under this particular subject. Hope you enjoy the pictures and are able to take away some information about the tectonics in this region. Also, please do not use my pictures without permission first.

Until next time!

~ Crystal ~

Greater Seattle Area - Climate, Weathering and Mass Wasting

The climate of a particular area is dependent upon where it is located. As you can see, the United States has many climate zones. In South Florida, we are located in the Tropical Wet/Dry Season climate zone. Well, if you live in Florida, then you already know how the weather is and don't require an explanation. Besides, I am not going to focus on South Florida at this moment. I am focusing on the Greater Seattle Area (GSA).

This map can be found on the following page: Summary of the Museum Preservation Environment Summit

In the Greater Seattle Area (GSA), we tend to find the climate is a combination of Marine and Highland  (alpine). What does that mean though?

Marine

A marine climate consists of humid weather with lots of rain and is never too hot or cold. It is also cloudy for much of the year. 

As you can see from the picture below, taken in September 2012, the cloud coverage can be very dense. It sits on top of the area like a blanket. I took this picture as we were driving, so it isn't the best, but you get the point.

This next picture (again, while we were driving), shows the area about to receive a nice amount of rain. This type of rainfall is not typical. Usually, when it rains, it is a very light, misty sort of rain. The misty rain can last all day. These heavier rainstorms do occur, but not as frequently as the lighter rainfall.

Highland

Highland is exactly what the name suggests. It is an area found in mountains and/or high plateaus. Summers range from June to September. The temperatures go from cool to cold. The higher you ascent, the colder it becomes. The summers are mild, while the winters are quite cold. Most of the precipitation is in the form of snow.

As you can see from the pictures below, taken in March 2013, there is a LOT of snow! The pictures below were taken while we hiked along a HUGE embankment of snow in the Paradise section of Mount Rainier. It must have been at least 10' high.  However, I digress, it was just as beautiful as it is in September! 

The Pacific Ocean has a lot of influence over Mount Rainier, the west coast of the Cascades and also over Olympic National Park. Maritime air masses bring the mild weather, humidity and rain. However, if the Olympic Mountains block the polar masses coming off of the Pacific Ocean, then why isn't the weather in the GSA (Greater Seattle Area) more arid, like the east side of the Rocky Mountains? The reason for this is something known as the Puget Sound Convergence Zone.

Basically, the polar air masses coming off of the Pacific Ocean are split, one follows along the south side of the Olympic Mountains, while the other runs along the Strait of Juan de Fuca. They continue east until they hit the Cascades. The one coming from the north, heads south. The mass from the south heads north and then they both collide or converge. Since there is nowhere else for them to go, they push back up into the atmosphere.

They settle approximately over the Snohomish county area, which is located between the Cascades and Seattle. I always wondered why at Snoqualmie Falls it would be snowing, but when we made the drive back to Bellevue, as soon as we passed over a certain point - it just disappeared. Of course, since I am from Florida, seeing snow any chance I can get is certainly a treat.

As I began to do my research for this portion of the blog post, I began to understand.  Also, the convergence zone can actually be pushed further west or fall further east, depending upon the strength of the wind. You can read more about this phenomenon in this informative article: "What is the Puget Sound Convergence Zone?"     

Weathering

Weathering is a process by which rocks are chemically altered or physically broken down as a result of atmospheric agents and the pressures/temperatures at or near the Earth's surface.

Some of the physical weathering processes in the GSA are frost action (at higher altitudes in the Cascades, Olympic Mountains and Mount Rainier), talus and abrasion (wind, rivers, waterfalls and glaciers). Some examples of biological weathering are root wedging and lichens.

Below are some pictures of Snoqualmie Falls taken September 2012. Take note of the weathering as a result of the rushing water (also a form of water erosion) of the waterfall:

   

Rock fragments are a product of the weathering process in these areas as well. Notice the boulders in the picture below (Deception Pass - March 2013). Over time, those huge boulders break down into smaller rocks, cobbles and pebbles like the ones in the next picture on the beach. The waves toss and smooth the rough edges of the rocks. See how some pebbles have a rounder shape than other pebbles? This is known as spheroidal weathering.

Spheroidal weathering also occurs on the banks of rivers and streams. (Mount Rainier - 2013)

Mass wasting:

Mass wasting is the down slope movement of earthen materials under the force of gravity. There are many types such as soil creep, rockslides, rock falls, landslides and mudflows. Considering the GSA has many volcanoes and mountains in the region, it is only logical to assume that many of these occur in the region.

The current peak of Mount Rainier was formed by an event known as the Osceola Mudflow about 5,600 years ago. The east and northeast slopes collapsed and flowed down as far as Puget Sound. Then subsequent mudflows and lahars followed. Much of the Cascades are subject to mudflows or landslides especially because the area receives a high amount of precipitation. 

You can read more about these events here: 

Significant Lahars at Mount Rainier 

The picture below and more information can be found here: 

Huge rockslides at Mount Rainier

It's extremely frightening to think that there is a possibility you may get caught in one of these mass movements of earth. However, I enjoy the area and will continue to take that chance every time I visit. Anyway, you take a chance every single day, even just by taking a shower, walking out the door or getting behind the wheel of a car. I want to live life to the fullest and not worry about something that *might* take my life. The area is too majestic to avoid. :-)

Thanks for reading!

~ Crystal ~

Greater Seattle Area Introduction

Seattle is located a few hours east of the Pacific Ocean in the northwest section of the United States. The city sits with the Cascade National Park to the northeast, Olympic National Park to the west, Puget Sound to the northwest, Mount Rainier to the southeast and Mount St. Helens to the south.

According to http://www.seattle.gov/ the population for the Greater Seattle Area (GSA) in 1970 was approximately 1,939,000 and grew to approximately 3,707,400 in 2010 in the last census. *Any future reference to the "Greater Seattle Area" will be replaced with the acronym "GSA"* For demographic purposes, the GSA is comprised of King, Snohomish, Pierce, Kitsap counties and the city of Seattle. However, this post (and the next few to follow) will cover the previously listed parks and extend into their surrounding areas.

The GSA attracts individuals from all over the globe. Whether you are coming to visit downtown Seattle for the many museums, performing arts theaters, The Space Needle, whale watching or you just want to take a stroll along the waterfront - there is something for everyone! You can rent a car, head out of town to check out the mountainside or head to Forks, WA to see where they filmed Twilight. Just kidding! Honestly, I wasn't aware they filmed the movie there until I used my check-in app from my phone and the whole world wanted to know if I was there because they filmed the movie there. Nope, I just love traveling and had NO idea of that fact. We were passing through. For the Twilight fans though, it might be interesting to check out.


Did you know that Starbucks, Costco, Amazon.com and Boeing Company are headquartered in Seattle? Microsoft is headquartered in Redmond, which is just outside of Seattle. This list alone is impressive. The major industries include aerospace, transportation equipment, forest products, food processing and advanced technology (e.g. computer software or electronics). Tourism is an important contributer to the local economy. The Port of Seattle is considered to be the, "second largest handler of container cargo in the country." For more information regarding the local economy, please visit: http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-West/Seattle-Economy.html


It is believed that Seattle is mainly clouds and rain all year, however Seattle actually receives less rainfall, but more frequently in the form of a light misting or sprinkling. For example, if you go to: http://www.weather.com/ and enter in Seattle, WA and Ft. Lauderdale, FL to compare the precipitation average; you will find that Ft. Lauderdale has 30.4 inches more in rain on average.

Here are some interesting facts about the GSA:

- Ted Bundy and Gary Ridgway committed over 30 murders (each) in the northwest, including Seattle and the surrounding areas.

http://www.seattle.gov/oir/datasheet/demographics.htm

- There is a Gum Wall in the Pike Place Market off of Pike Street in downtown Seattle where you take your ABC(already been chewed) gum and find a creative way to stick it on the wall. It really is a work of art, even if it seems a bit disgusting. A must see for the non-squeamish!
- Washington state produces more apples than any other state. A quick note - I have seen the apple orchards - I believe it!
- Jimi Hendrix was born in Seattle.
- I'm pretty sure you could already gather that Starbucks was founded in Seattle.
- Pugent Sound is the starting point of the whale watching tours. If you're lucky, you may get to see orcas, humpback whales, dolphins, bald eagles and much more.
- Washington contains a high amount of glaciers as compared to the rest of the US.
- Mount St. Helens erupted due to a 5.1 earthquake beneath it.
- Salmon make their way back through the channels to Issaquah and many other areas of the GSA. Here is a salmon making a jump to get back over to the other side:

- I took these pictures at the Issaquah Hatchery: http://www.issaquahfish.org/

I chose this location to start with first because it is one of my favorite places to visit. The area is extremely diverse when it comes to the physical landscape. I also have been visiting this area for almost three years now. I was due back for a trip in August, but was unable to make it due to school. I plan to extensively discuss the features that make this area so unique. The GSA is extremely beautiful at all times of the year. I am very excited that I decided to start this blog with an area of the United States of which I am an avid fan. Until next time!

Here are some pictures of Mount Rainier in August 2012:

Please take note: All of the pictures I have supplied in this blog post are my own. Please do not use them without my permission.

Until next time!

~ Crystal ~