Shasta mount

The mount Shasta ( Mount Shasta in English, called Mount Sisson until 1922) is a stratovolcano of California, in the west of the the United States. Its altitude of 4322 meters ( 14.179 feet ) makes of it the 2nd more high summit of the Chaîne of the Cascades and more the high summit of California which is not in the Sierra Nevada. The Shasta mount has the effect of being with 3000 meters ( 10.000 feet ) with the top of the plain around.

Its first rise was done in 1854 by E.D. Pearce.

Geology

The Shasta mount consists of four separated cones, buried the ones on the others. Shastina (3749 meters - 12300 feet) is the most visible cone and constitutes a secondary top. At the top of the latter, one can find a crater completely intact, which proves that Shastina was formed after the Ice last Age. The remainder of the slopes of Shasta shows relatively few traces of erosion. Paradoxically, the only exception is at the south, where the Sargents Ridge is parallel to the U-shaped Avalanch Gulch (largest glacial Vallée on the volcano, although there is no more glacier). There are five small glaciers on the northern side of the mountain.

There exist many glacial headlands which were created during the periods of glaciation of the Glaciation of Würm. The majority were filled by andesitic Lave , pyroclastic castings and the slopes of the domes of lava.

Volcanic history

During the last 10.000 years, the Shasta mount entered in eruption on average every 800 years, but on the last 4500 years, the period between two eruptions is 600 years. The last eruption of importance would have occurred 200 years ago.

The Shasta mount can release from the volcanic ash, the pyroclastic castings and the andesitic lava or dacitic. Remains coming from eruption of the Shasta mount were detected under two cities close to a total population of 20.000 inhabitants. Shasta knew an explosive and eruptive history. The Fumerolle S which it comprises proves that the mountain is still alive.

The most dangerous eruption would be a great pyroclastic casting, such as that which occurred with the Holy Mont Helens. Because of the presence of ice, Lahar S would be probable. Ashes would probably settle towards the interior of the grounds, perhaps even until the oriental party of Nevada. There exists also a weak probability that an eruption could generate a collapse of the mountain, as with the Crater Lake in the Oregon.

The US Geological Survey considers that Shasta is a volcano having a strong probability of being the theater of other eruptions.

Religion

The Indian Iore, which lived the area, thought that the Shasta mount was inhabited by the spirit of the chief Skell, who was descended from the paradise towards the top of the mountain. Since then, of many other worships were attracted by Mount Shasta. Mount Shasta, the homonymous city located at the foot of the mountain, is the place of appointment of all these religions. A great number of these religions think that beings higher than human live on Mount Shasta or visit the mountain in UFO S. There are in fact sometimes clouds in the shape of saucer on the mountain (a well-known weather phenomenon on the mountains). Such clouds are often taken by error for UFOs.

The Shasta mount is also the place of a Buddhist monastery , Shasta Abbey , founded by Houn Jiyu-Kennett in 1971.

The Shasta mount in the literature

The Shasta mount is mentioned in Lost Legacy , a short news of Robert Heinlein. In this book, it shelters a group of men who lay out of psychic capacities and decide to teach them with the whole ground by enlisting scouts.

The mountain is also the theater of an important scene of a news of Ken Grimwood, Replay

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