A melting glacier - likely created because of California's prolonged drought - caused a massive mudslide on Mt. Shasta over the weekend, sending mud, debris and gushes of water down the fifth highest mountain in California.
Andrea Capps, spokeswoman for the U.S. Shasta-Trinity National Forest Service, said in a statement that the mudslide occurred Saturday about 3 p.m. And while the exact cause hasn't been pinpointed, she said it "is believed to be due to the drought conditions which have left Mt. Shasta’s glaciers exposed to the sun’s heat."
Mt. Shasta is actually a volcano located at the southern end of the Cascade Range in Siskiyou County, California near the Oregon border. It stands 14,179 feet tall.
Capps said experts believe glacial melting, accelerated by the drought, may have released "pockets of water" that destabilized massive ice blocks and caused the debris flow
No injuries were reported, and there was no immediate estimate for how much material was caught up in the debris flow, which occurred in Mud Creek Canyon on the southeast side of the mountain, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
A spokeswoman for Shasta-Trinity National Forest says the mudslide was the largest one on Mt. Shasta in 20 years, according to NBC affiliate KNVN. The mud flow down the southeastern side of Mt. Shasta crossed Pilgrim Creek Road and Forest Service Road 31, which will have to be closed for several days for cleanup.
Visitors to Mt. Shasta should be aware that additional mudslides are possible. And there is also a possibility of rain in the area on Monday, which could increase the flow of this mudslide.
