earth science

Shastina

Shastina is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Shastina rather than just read about it. In short: Shastina is a satellite cone of Mount Shasta. It is the second youngest of four overlapping volcanic cones which together form the most voluminous stratovolcano in the Cascade Range.

Key takeaways

Shastina belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Shastina to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Shastina from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Shastina is a satellite cone of Mount Shasta. It is the second youngest of four overlapping volcanic cones which together form the most voluminous stratovolcano in the Cascade Range. At 12,335 feet (3,760 m), Shastina is taller than Mount Adams and would rank as the third highest volcano in the Cascades behind Mount Rainier and Shasta were it not nestled on the western flank of its higher neighbor. Shastina has a topographic prominence of over 450 ft (137 m) above the saddle connecting it with Shasta and easily exceeds the typical mountaineering standard of 300 feet (91 m) for a peak to qualify as an independent summit, yet most lists of Cascade volcanoes omit it nonetheless. The name "Shastina" is a diminutive of Shasta. Shastina was formed during a VEI-4 eruption around 7650 BC that also involved activity at the summit of Mount Shasta and the Red Banks on Shasta's south flank.

Geological features Shastina has the general form of a smooth-sided cone truncated by a one half-mile (0.8 km) diameter summit crater, but with several geological features which make it unique among other volcanoes in the Cascade Volcanic Arc. The most prominent feature when seen from lowland viewpoints is Diller Canyon, a large cleft carved into the western flank by pyroclastic flows and since expanded by erosion. It extends from the crater rim near 12,000 feet (3,660 m) down for over 7,000 vertical feet (2,100 m) towards the town of Weed in the valley below, and is by far the largest such feature found on any of the Cascade volcanoes. Unseen except by mountaineers and fliers are the three small crater lakes nestled among the cones and ridges of the summit crater, which rarely melt free of snow until late summer. Clarence King Lake at 11,755 ft (3,583 m) occupies the center of the crater, while Sisson Lake lies at 11,793 ft (3,595 m) on the eastern side. Highest of all is an unnamed lake at over 11,960 ft (3,645 m) on the south side of the cinder cone which forms Shastina's true summit. These lakes are the highest subaerial lakes in the entire Cascade Range, exceeded only by the subglacial lake beneath the ice of Mount Rainier's summit crater.

Climate

Climbing and skiing Shastina is most commonly and easily climbed via the Cascade Gulch route, which ascends from Hidden Valley diagonally up to the Shasta-Shastina saddle, and then continuing up the eastern flank of Shastina's cone to its summit. For most mountaineers, it represents only a quick side trip on the downclimb after summiting Shasta. But for ski mountaineers, Shastina presents a reasonable climb in its own right in return for several exceptional ski descents, including Diller Canyon, the North Face, and the South Face.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Shastina

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Shastina claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Shastina before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Shastina ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Shastina

In research: Shastina appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Shastina in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Shastina is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Cascade Range, Cascade Volcanoes, Cinder cones of the United States, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Shastina outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Shastina in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Shastina means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Shastina out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Shastina in simple terms?

Shastina is a satellite cone of Mount Shasta. It is the second youngest of four overlapping volcanic cones which together form the most voluminous stratovolcano in the Cascade Range.

Why does Shastina matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Shastina?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Shastina.