Glacier Peak
A land of towering peaks and vast glaciers in the Karakoram, Himalaya, and Hindu Kush ranges.
Glacier Peak, also known as Dakobed or by the Sauk-Suiattle Lushootseed names "Tda-ko-buh-ba" and "Takobia," is a stratovolcano located in Washington state. It sits within the Glacier Peak Wilderness of the Mount Baker–Snoqualmie National Forest and is visible from Seattle to the west and from higher areas of Vancouver's eastern suburbs, such as Coquitlam and New Westminster, to the north. It ranks as the fourth tallest peak in Washington and is the most isolated volcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc. Despite its prominence, less is known about Glacier Peak compared to other regional volcanoes. Native American peoples recognized the mountain in their histories and stories, and early American explorers learned basic information about the area but did not initially realize it was a volcano. The volcano lies in Snohomish County, only about 70 miles northeast of downtown Seattle. From northern Seattle and points north, it is actually closer than the more famous Mount Rainier, but because Glacier Peak sits farther into the Cascades and is nearly 4,000 feet shorter, it is far less noticeable.
Glacier Peak is the second most active volcano in Washington, with eruptions occurring as recently as around 1700 AD. It formed during the Pleistocene epoch roughly one million years ago, and since the last ice age, it has produced some of the largest and most explosive eruptions in the state. After continental ice sheets retreated, the volcano began erupting regularly, with five explosive eruptions in the past 3,000 years and at least six distinct eruptive periods, two of which rank among the largest in Washington. The summit consists largely of remnants of prehistoric lava domes, along with a false summit called Disappointment Peak. Pyroclastic flow deposits, likely from lava dome collapses, are visible in nearby river valleys, and ridges east of the summit contain ash cloud remains. On the western flank, a lahar deposit runs about 35 kilometers into the White Chuck River Valley from around 14,000 years ago. Ten other pyroclastic flow deposits, all roughly 10,000 years old, are also visible. A newer mudflow about 5,500 years old covers 15 kilometers in the same valley, with two smaller incidents under 3,000 years old. Another lahar of unknown age, rich in oxyhornblende dacite, extends 30 kilometers into the Sauk River. Ash cloud deposits are found on the eastern flank, and s
- type
- Stratovolcano
- elevation
- 10,541 feet (3,213 m)
- location
- Snohomish County, Washington, USA
- volcanic_arc
- Cascade Volcanic Arc
- most_recent_eruption
- 1700 AD ± 100 years
- known_for
- Second most active of Washington's volcanoes; most isolated in the Cascade Volcanic Arc
Lore & Background
Most of the highest mountains in Pakistan are located in the Karakoram range, some high mountains are in Himalaya (the highest of which is Nanga Parbat, globally ranked 9th, 8126 m) and Hindu Kush (the highest of which is Tirich Mir, globally ranked 33rd, 7708 m). The peak marked as number 9 is Nanga Parbat (8,125 m), which is the 2nd highest Himalayan peak in Pakistan. All other peaks above 8,000m are in the Baltoro Muztagh subrange of Karakoram. Most of the high peaks in Pakistan lie specifically in Gilgit–Baltistan with the exception of a few 7,000+ m peaks in the high Hindu Kush (the peaks marked in the northwest most region of Pakistan).
Reader's Guide
The list is an incomplete list of mountains in Pakistan. There are many named and unnamed peaks in Pakistan that are currently not included in this list. The list also includes many peaks that are not usually classed as independent mountains, but instead are considered sub-peaks of other mountains, due to having low topographic prominence (the height of a peak above the highest saddle connecting it to a higher summit). Also, many of the elevations listed are approximate, due to imprecise and inconsistent surveys. The ranks in the peaks above 7,000 metres (23,000 ft) are derived from the list of highest mountains. The dividing line between a mountain with multiple peaks and separate mountains is not always clear. A common threshold is to define a mountain as a summit with 300 m prominence (1,000 ft; also 10 traditional rope lengths). Alternatively, a relative prominence (prominence or height) is used (usually 7–8%) to reflect that in higher mountain ranges everything is on a larger scale. The list of highest mountains ranks the highest 100 summits with at least 500 m prominence, approximating a 7% relative prominence. A drawback of a prominence-based list is that it may exclude peaks commonly thought of as mountains that are connected via a high ridge to a taller summit. Many such peaks and mountains with less than sufficient prominence are included but not numbered in the list. It is very unlikely that all the heights given are correct to the nearest meter; indeed, problems of definition of sea level can arise when a mountain is remote from the sea. Different sources often differ by many meters, and many mountains in the Karakorum differ by over 100 metres on different maps. These discrepancies serve to emphasise the uncertainties in the listed heights.
Did You Know?
- Pakistan is home to 108 peaks above 7,000 metres and 4555 above 6,000 m.
- Five of the 14 highest independent peaks in the world (the eight-thousanders) are in Pakistan.
- Pakistan has over 7,000 glaciers, more than anywhere except the polar regions.
- Most of the highest peaks in Pakistan lie in the Karakoram mountain range, which lies almost entirely in the Gilgit–Baltistan region.
- Nanga Parbat is the 2nd highest Himalayan peak in Pakistan, globally ranked 9th at 8126 m.
More in Mountains And Mountain Ranges 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record