Mud on the Move. Along with lava and ash, the
volcanically active Mount Rainier has contributed thick flows of mud from its sides and summit. One of the largest mudflows occurred about 5,800 years ago sending thick rivers of mud down the White Ri…
Why is the River White? Particles the size and color of plaster
dust give the White River its distinctive
pale hue. These particles are what geologists call "glacial flour"—a fitting name for the pulverized rock from the Emmons g…