GSC and SFU hold Mount Garibaldi volcanic hazard map workshop in Squamish

The Story

The Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) and Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Natural Hazards Research co-hosted the Mount Garibaldi / Nch’ḵay̓ Volcanic Hazard Map Workshop on Sept. 15 at the Emergency Operations Centre in Valleycliffe.

The session was part of the GSC-led Volcano Risk Reduction in Canada project, which aims to improve scientific understanding of Mount Garibaldi and translate that knowledge into practical information and tools to support decision-making.

Research scientist Yu-Yen Pan, of the GSC, said the workshop was also intended to address a knowledge gap: only about 56 per cent of people know Garibaldi is a volcano, she said, compared with 79 per cent who know St. Helens is a volcano.

Pan said the workshop brought together about 30 participants from 14 organizations, including provincial agencies such as the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness and BC Parks, local government bodies including the District of Squamish and Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, the Resort Municipality of Whistler, Squamish Nation, and infrastructure organizations including BC Hydro.

During the workshop, scientists shared the latest research and presented draft volcanic hazard maps, discussing how the information could support emergency response and land-use planning.

Pan said participants gave feedback on how maps and related communication materials could be clearer and more useful, including requests for actionable details such as warning time and for worst-case or most-likely scenarios, including differences between winter and summer conditions.

Pan said the maps are presented as a set: GSC research scientist Yannick Le Moigne explained that there are separate maps showing where ashfall, lava flows, and volcanic debris flows could go if an eruption occurs.

Le Moigne said the goal was to present the maps to emergency managers and first responders to see whether they understand the hazard information and how it can be used in their work.

GSC physical scientist Melanie Kelman said Mount Garibaldi is considered one of Canada’s highest-threat volcanoes because of its long and sometimes explosive eruption history and a very long lava flow from its Opal Cone, which she said is capable of travelling far.

Kelman also pointed to the volcano’s proximity to Squamish and to infrastructure, describing it as close to the highway, power infrastructure, the railroad, and air traffic corridors, which she said increases exposure for people and assets.

She said “very high threat” does not mean people should panic, adding that it means the volcano should be monitored, studied, and that planning should be considered in advance.

Kelman said volcano monitoring can provide warning signs, noting that unrest can occur in the hours, days, weeks, months, or even years before an eruption, and that combining seismic, ground deformation, and gas monitoring can help distinguish normal from unrest.

She said researchers also described the need for additional on-the-ground sampling and analysis to better connect current observations to future eruption scenarios, including studying what the volcano looked like and what it did in the past.

District of Squamish communications district manager Rachel Boguski said, in an emailed statement, that the workshop allowed participants to learn about latest regional research, review draft hazard mapping, and connect with researchers, provincial agencies, First Nations, neighbouring local governments, and infrastructure providers to discuss shared risks and planning considerations.

Boguski said the District will be kept informed of project outcomes and will incorporate them into ongoing hazard planning, adding that the work is still underway.

The Volcano Risk Reduction in Canada project began in 2022 and is scheduled to end in March 2027, while Kelman said researchers are pursuing additional funding to support long-term hazard and risk assessment and monitoring.