MOUNTAINEERING -- The volcanic eruption may be a few centuries away, or maybe it could be in your lifetime. Who knows when Washington's Glacier Peak will spit fire again?

The summit is pegged at elevation 10,541 feet. Climbing the peak won't have as much status of an eruption takes off the top thousand feet or so the way Mt. St. Helens was reduced in size in 1980.

The U.S. Geological Survey has decided to keep a closer eye on the namesake of the Glacier Peak Wilderness -- the slumbering giant in Snohomish County’s wild, scenic back yard.

A new study is under way for Glacier Peak, one of the most dangerous but least monitored volcanoes in the country, according to a story in the Everett Herald.

The USGS National Volcano Early Warning System classifies Glacier Peak as a “very high threat” volcano, on par with Mount St. Helens or Mount Rainier. The St. Helens eruption in 1980 killed 57 people, destroyed hundreds of homes and wiped out at least 47 bridges and 185 miles of highway.

A large eruption of Glacier Peak could send a deadly wall of mud, rock and glacial melt barrelling through parts of the Stillaguamish and Skagit valleys.

Glacier Peak is remote, with more than a dozen glaciers hugging its slopes, accessible only by trail.

Glacier Peak is one of 18 volcanoes in the country considered a “very high threat.” Threat levels were determined by scoring and ranking 169 U.S. volcanoes on factors such as past eruptions, recent seismic activity and proximity to populated areas and important infrastructure.

Most U.S. volcanoes dot the west coast of the country, part of the Ring of Fire that circles the Pacific Ocean. Five considered to present the highest threat are in Alaska, four each in Washington and Oregon, three in California and two in Hawaii.

Glacier Peak erupts more violently than the other four active volcanoes in Washington, USGS says. The last eruption was about 240 years ago, and the most recent large eruption took place an estimated 1,800 years ago. The odds of an eruption on any given day is about 1 in 1,000, based on USGS estimates.

The National Volcano Early Warning System has identified 57 volcanoes in the country that need better monitoring. Glacier Peak, Mount Baker, Mount Rainier and Mount St. Helens are listed as the highest priorities in Washington.