Towering above the landscape of Northern California, at the southern end of the Cascade Range, Mt. Shasta is a composite of four volcanic cones, the first of which began to form just 600,000 years ago; with a summit elevation of 14,179 feet, it is second only to Mt. Ranier among the Cascade volcanoes.
The current summit crater of Mt. Shasta, 600 feet across, tops the Hotlum Cone, which formed about 8000 years ago and has been erupting every 600-800 years; the last significant eruption was 200 years ago. Mt. Shastina, topping out at 12,330 feet, is an older cone that now appears as a prominant satellite peak to the west of Shasta's primary summit; the Whitney Glacier, one of five glaciers that grace Mt. Shasta, lies between the two peaks. Tributaries arising from Shasta's ice sheets feed the Klamath River to the north (primarily via the Shasta River) and the Sacramento River, to the south.
Since Mt. Shasta rises almost 10,000 feet above its immediate surroundings, this magnificent massif can be seen from up to 150 miles away. Though classified as a dormant volcano, Shasta is not extinct, as indicated by active fumeroles along its flanks. Another explosive eruption is expected within a few hundred years....if not next month!
