Eruptive activity in the Mount Cayley volcanic field is typical of past volcanism elsewhere in the Garibaldi Belt. Large earthquakes would occur under the volcanic field weeks to years in advance as molten rock intrudes through the Earth's rocky lithosphere. The extent of earthquakes and the local seismographs in this region would warn the Geological Survey of Canada and possibly cause an upgrade in monitoring. While molten rock breaks through the crust, the size of the volcano vulnerable to an eruption would probably swell and the area would rupture, creating much more hydrothermal activity at the regional hot springs and the formation of new springs or fumaroles. Small and probably significant rock avalanches may result and could dam the nearby Squamish River for a limited amount of time, such as those that occurred in the past without seismic activity and deformation related to magmatic activity. At some point the subsurface magma will produce phreatic eruptions and lahars. At this time Highway 99 would be out of service and the residents of Squamish would have to travel away from the eruptive zone.