Mount Rainier is a peak of exorbitant beauty. The Mountain, which is a part of the Northwest Ring of Fire, is an active volcano, but the last recorded eruption was over 150 years ago. Some mountains are formed by one large explosion or event that creates the feature we see, but Mount Rainier is different. The mountain has been formed through thousands of years of lava and mud flow. Throughout time these layers continually built upon each other to create the mountain.

Rainier is estimated to have once stood at over 16,000 feet above sea level. However, 5,700 years ago Mount Rainier erupted, causing the mountainside to collapse and it now stands at 14,411 feet above sea level. Thip eruption caused a mudflow called the Osceola Mudflow. Many of the towns built around Mount Rainier are built atop this mudflow. Scientists do not know exactly when might erupt like this again, but as an active volcano it could be at any time.