High-resolution digital elevation dataset for Mt Baker and vicinity, Washington, based on lidar surveys of 2015

Abstract

Snow and ice-covered Mount Baker in northern Washington, is the highest peak in the North Cascades (3,286 meters or 10,781 feet) and the northernmost volcano in the conterminous United States. It is the only U.S. volcano in the Cascade Range that has been affected by both alpine and continental glaciation. The stratovolcano is composed mainly of andesite lava flows and breccias formed prior to the most recent major glaciation (Fraser Glaciation), which occurred between about 25,000 and 10,000 years ago. The most recent major eruption at Mount Baker (6,700 years ago) was accompanied by a major flank-collapse event that caused lahars to rush down the Nooksack River and then eastward into Baker Lake. In 1975-76, Sherman Crater immediately south of the summit, exhibited signs of renewed volcanic activity as a result of magma intruding into the volcano but not erupting. The DEM (digital elevation model) of Mount Baker covers approximately 201 square miles and is the product of high-precision airborne lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) surveys performed between 08/26/15 and 09/27/15 by Quantum Spatial under contract with the USGS. The DEM, represents the ground surface beneath forest cover. This release includes two raster datasets in .tif format, (1) a DEM dataset (mt_baker_dem.zip, 1.40 GB), and (2) a hillshade raster (mt_baker_hillshade.zip, 573 MB).