I know that they did an aeromagnetic study of Mt. Rainier a few years back and discovered something to the tune of 400 million tons of rock that has been weakened by heat and steam over the years. I believe this has made some of these areas softer, kinda like clay. I know that part of that weakened area was found to be on the western slopes and I think the southwestern slope was included as well. So as the wheels of my mind turn, I begin to wonder. They were showing some pretty impressive footage on the news last night of this debris flow currently taking place on the mountain. Boulders larger than the average vehicle bouncing down the steep slopes along with tons of water and a fair amount of mud made for quite a show. They were saying that a new canyon about 200 ft deep and just as many feet across has already been carved below the Kautz glacier. I am curious and I figure that there are some great minds here that probably know much more than I do. How long would these current conditions have to continue before a large slab of that weakened rock starts sliding away and produces a much larger debris flow or lahar that actually might threaten some of those populated areas that are below the mountain? Does anyone have any theories or ideas about this? All information and ideas are appreciated. Thanks! Kate