page_title: Garibaldi Lake
section_title: Geohazards
hierarchical_section_title: Garibaldi Lake / Geohazards
caption_attribution_description: English: View of The Barrier, British Columbia
context_page_description: Garibaldi Lake is a turquoise-coloured alpine lake in British Columbia, Canada, located 37 km north of Squamish and 19 km south of Whistler. The lake lies within Garibaldi Provincial Park, which features mountains, glaciers, trails, forests, flowers, meadows, waterfalls. The park is a wildlife protected area.
context_section_description: The unstable lava formation of The Barrier has in the past unleashed several debris flows in the area below the lake, most recently in 1855-56 forming a large boulder field which gives Rubble Creek its name.  Concerns about the Barrier's instability due to volcanic, tectonic, or heavy rainfall activity prompted the provincial government to declare the area immediately below it unsafe for human habitation in 1981.  This led to the evacuation of the nearby village of Garibaldi, British Columbia, and the relocation of residents to new recreational subdivisions away from the hazard zone.  Collapse of the barrier has been speculated upon, and there have been suggestions of potential catastrophic downstream consequences, however, the "District of Squamish, Integrated Flood Hazard Management Plan Background Report" (PDF). concludes that there has never been any suggestion in any scientific evidence that the Barrier will eventually collapse to the point of creating an uncontrolled release of Garibaldi Lake or cause extreme flooding in downstream neighbourhoods along the Squamish River.  However, the "District of Squamish Integrated Flood Hazard Management Plan - Final Report" (PDF). notes that a large collapse of the Barrier could potentially block the Cheakamus River increasing the possibility of a debris flood the could affect the Paradise Valley.
caption: The Rock fall area and the edge of The Barrier
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