Mt. Rainier is not 'venting,' USGS says
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- Photos and video of Mt. Rainier appearing to "vent" are hitting the internet, but U.S. Geological Survey says that's not the case.
Rainier National Park's assessment says the formation over the tallest mountain in Washington state is just a cloud, according to USGS.
"This is not an eruption, and in fact is not unusual sort of behavior. A number of USGS volcanologists are on site, coincidentally, installing new equipment, and have confirmed that nothing abnormal is happening at the volcano," USGS replied to someone in a tweet.
In other tweets to curious replies, USGS also clarified there are no other indications of unrest from Mt. Rainier, including seismic, deformation and infrasound, which had been detected in the lead-up to the May 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens.
The last time Mt. Rainier erupted was about 1,000 years ago, according to USGS.