Melted glacier sends miles of mud down Mt. Shasta

Crews are working to clear two roads on Northern California’s Mount Shasta after a glacier melted or shifted, sending mud and debris down the mountain.

A spokeswoman for Shasta-Trinity National Forest says the mudslide that began Saturday afternoon was the largest one on Mt. Shasta in 20 years.

Andrea Capps says no injuries or damage to structures were reported. However, the mud flow down the southeastern side of Mount Shasta crossed two roads which will have to be closed for several days for cleanup.

Capps says the mudslide may be related to California’s prolonged drought, which left the mountain’s glaciers exposed to the sun’s heat.

She says a U.S. Forest Service hydrologist believes that a glacier holding pockets of water either shifted or melted, releasing water down the mountainside.