Mount Adams

Also known as Mt. Adams, Klickitat

Southern Washington stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc

Key facts

Elevation: 12,281 ft (3,743 m) NAVD 88
Prominence: 8,116 ft (2,474 m)
Isolation: 46.1 mi (74.2 km)
Listing: North America prominent peaks 37th
Etymology: John Adams
Location: Yakama Nation / Skamania County , Washington , U.S.
Parent range: Cascade Range
Topo map: USGS Mount Adams East
Rock age: Less than 520,000 years
Mountain type: Stratovolcano
Volcanic arc: Cascade Volcanic Arc
Last eruption: 950 CE
First ascent

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Article

Mount Adams is a stratovolcano located in the Cascade Range of Washington, United States. Standing at 12,276 ft (3,742 m) feet, it is the second-highest mountain in Washington and a prominent feature within the Cascade Volcanic Arc, which formed as a result of the subduction of the Juan de Fuca Plate beneath the North American Plate. Adams is near two more-frequently erupting neighbors, Mount St Helens and Mount Rainier. It has twelve named glaciers descending its slopes.

Geologically, Mount Adams first formed in the Pleistocene. Its construction involved multiple eruptive phases, the first around 500,000 years ago, followed by the development of the modern cone around 10,000 years ago. The last known lava flow was approximately 1,000 years ago. The volcano has the potential for future hazards, including lahars, pyroclastic flows, and ashfall. Its deeply eroded flanks drain into major regional rivers like the Cispus, Klickitat and Lewis Rivers.