Cascades Volcanic Observatory Weekly Report

CASCADES VOLCANO OBSERVATORY WEEKLY UPDATE
Friday, July 17, 2009 09:29 PDT (Friday, July 17, 2009 16:29 UTC)


Cascade Range Volcanoes
Volcano Alert Level: NORMAL
Aviation Color Code: GREEN

Activity Update: All volcanoes in the Cascade Range are at normal levels of background seismicity. These include Mount Baker, Glacier Peak, Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, and Mount Adams in Washington State; Mount Hood, Mount Jefferson, Three Sisters, Newberry Volcano, and Crater Lake, in Oregon; and Medicine Lake volcano, Mount Shasta, and Lassen Peak in northern California.
Mount St. Helens has been at Volcano Alert Level NORMAL (Aviation Color Code GREEN) since July 10, 2008.

Recent Observations: Summer field work continues at several Cascade volcanoes. A collaboration among USGS, NASA, and Washington State University-Vancouver deployed 14 portable monitoring stations (a.k.a. spiders) at Mount St. Helens. These new-generation instruments employ a revolutionary communications technology that is undergoing its first full field test. Another field crew is at Three Sisters conducting an experiment aimed at developing an improved technique for temporary GPS surveys.

The U.S. Geological Survey and University of Washington continue to monitor these volcanoes closely and will issue additional updates and changes in alert level as warranted.

For additional information, background, images, and other graphics: http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov
For seismic information on Oregon and Washington volcanoes: http://www.pnsn.org/WEBICORDER/PNSN/welcome.html
For seismic information on California volcanoes: http://earthquakes.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsus/Maps/special/California_Nevada.php
For a definition of alert levels: http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/Cascades/CurrentActivity/volcano_warning_scheme.html
For a webcam view of Mount St. Helens: http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/volcanocams/msh/