Under the volcano: Mount Garibaldi poses threat to Squamish area, expert warns

Towering above Howe Sound, Mount Garibaldi is a symbol of solidity and strength, and is sacred to the Skwxwú7mesh people for giving families a place high and solid enough to anchor their canoes during the great flood.

Today, it represents the greatest volcanic threat to people living between Squamish and Whistler, according to volcanologist Catherine Hickson.

In a recent article in the Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, Hickson outlines potential volcanic hazards for the Squamish-to-Whistler region, including voluminous lava flows, pyroclastic density currents and lahars — flood and debris flows created by hot magma cascading onto ice and snow.

This may seem unlikely. After all, geological evidence shows the last eruption of Mount Garibaldi was about 10,000 years ago. But the Garibaldi volcanic system is part of the Cascade Volcanic Arc, extending from southwestern B.C. through Washington state and Oregon to Northern California.