Mazama and Glacier Peak Volcanic Ash Layers: Relative Ages

Abstract

Physiographic and stratigraphic evidence supports the regional correlation of two volcanic ash layers with extinct Mount Mazama at Crater Lake, Oregon, and Glacier Peak in the northern Cascade Range of Washington. A radiocarbon age of 12,000 ± 310 years confirms geological evidence that ash derived from the Glacier Peak eruption is substantially older than ash from the Mazama eruption of 6600 years ago.