-Caveat Lector- WJPBR Email News List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace at any cost is a Prelude to War! Geologists study bulge in central Oregon Development in volcanic region of Cascades found by new satellite methods Wednesday, May 9, 2001 By WILLIAM MCCALL THE ASSOCIATED PRESS PORTLAND -- A significant bulge in the earth's crust has developed over the past four years near volcanoes in central Oregon, but it's not clear whether it could presage a volcanic eruption, geologists said yesterday. The bulge -- nine to 12 miles across and about 4 inches high -- was detected by satellite radar, said Willie Scott, a U.S. Geological Survey scientist at the agency's volcano lab in Vancouver, Wash. "Because it's a volcanic area and there's been a long history of volcanic activity in that part of the Cascades, it's possible it might be magma, or molten rock, moving deep underground," Scott said. The bulge is located near the Three Sisters, a trio of volcanoes at the center of the Cascade Range in Oregon. P-I The last major eruption in the Pacific Northwest occurred in May 1980, when Mount St. Helens blew off about 1,300 feet of its top. The uplift in central Oregon is too broad and low to be noticed from the ground. The USGS scientists discovered the bulge through use of a relatively new technique called satellite radar interferometry, which uses satellite data to create images of the Earth's surface. Images taken at different times can be used to detect changes of even a few inches in the elevation of the ground. Scientists have looked across the West for signs of bulges, but this is the first prominent change on record using this technique. "There's nothing as striking as this one," Scott said. "This is quite a prominent uplift. "But there's nothing right now that makes us think there's an imminent danger" of an eruption, he said. In addition to accelerating uplift, other indicators of an eruption would include earthquakes -- typically swarms of small quakes generated by rock fracturing as magma moves upward -- and large emissions of volcanic gases, such as carbon dioxide. Craig Weaver, lead seismologist for the USGS in Seattle, agreed it's interesting but unlikely that the bulge means Oregon faces an imminent volcanic eruption. "It appears to have happened without a regional increase in seismicity," Weaver said. Based on studies done at Mount St. Helens and other volcanoes, he explained, scientists typically expect a cluster of minor earthquakes in the vicinity of a budding volcano. Cascade volcanoes are produced by the same process that spawns earthquakes -- the slow-motion collision of two massive pieces of the Earth's crust known as tectonic plates. The offshore Juan de Fuca plate runs into and then down under the North American plate, producing mountain ranges, quakes and volcanoes from superheated rock. Weaver said the bulge near the Three Sisters has been identified because of better monitoring equipment now trained on the seismically active Pacific Northwest. Based on satellite radar data, he said, it appears the bulge had grown about 10 centimeters between 1996 and 2000. The Cascades, which run from the California border into British Columbia, contain a number of volcanic peaks. Mount Hood, Oregon's highest mountain, is believed to have erupted just before the Lewis and Clark expedition reached the mouth of the Columbia River in 1805. About 7,000 years ago, Mount Mazama exploded south of Bend in an enormous explosion that left behind a caldera which now holds Crater Lake, the deepest lake in North America. Whether the bulge will eventually spawn a volcano isn't clear, Weaver said, but it's certainly worth watching. "It's just another reminder that the Cascades are full of surprises," he said. "There's a lot of unrest down there." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- *COPYRIGHT NOTICE** In accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for nonprofit research and educational purposes only.[Ref. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ] Want to be on our lists? Write at [EMAIL PROTECTED] for a menu of our lists! <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
