The David A. Johnston Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO) is a volcano observatory in the US that monitors volcanoes in the northern

Cascade Range The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, ...

. It was established in the summer of 1980, after the eruption of Mount St. Helens.Google Books, ''Monitoring Volcanoes: Techniques and Strategies Used by the Staff of the Cascades Volcano Observatory, 1980-90'', Editors - John W. Ewert and Donald A. Swanson, United States Geological Survey, United States Government Printing Office, 1992, page 1
Retrieved May 11, 2018. The observatory is named for

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

(USGS) volcanologist

David A. Johnston David Alexander Johnston (December 18, 1949 – May 18, 1980) was an American United States Geological Survey (USGS) volcanologist who was killed by the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in the U.S. state of Washington. A principal scientist on ...

, who was swept away in the Mount St. Helens eruption on the morning of May 18, 1980. The observatory's current territory covers

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, and

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Monta ...

. The Cascade Range's extent includes northern

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, and Cascade volcanoes in that state, such as

Mount Shasta Mount Shasta ( Shasta: ''Waka-nunee-Tuki-wuki''; Karuk: ''Úytaahkoo'') is a potentially active volcano at the southern end of the Cascade Range in Siskiyou County, California. At an elevation of , it is the second-highest peak in the Cascad ...

and Lassen Peak, previously fell under the CVO's jurisdiction. However, these volcanoes now fall under the jurisdiction of the

California Volcano Observatory The California Volcano Observatory (CalVO) is the volcano observatory that monitors the volcanic and geologic activity of California and Nevada. It is a part of the Volcano Hazards Program of the United States Geological Survey, a scientific agen ...

(CalVO), formed in February 2012 and based in

Menlo Park, California Menlo Park is a city at the eastern edge of San Mateo County within the San Francisco Bay Area of California in the United States. It is bordered by San Francisco Bay on the north and east; East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, and Stanford to the south ...

, which monitors and researches volcanic activity throughout California and

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

. The Cascades Volcano Observatory is part of the USGS, a scientific agency of the

United States government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a feder ...

.WOVO.org: World Organization of Volcano Observatories
/ref> It is located in

Vancouver, Washington Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington, located in Clark County. Incorporated in 1857, Vancouver has a population of 190,915 as of the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Was ...

in the

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous ...

metropolitan area.

Monitored volcanoes

This list shows volcanoes currently monitored by the Cascades Volcano Observatory, which range in order of highest to lowest risk assessment. According to USGS risk assessment of volcanoes located in the northern Cascades region, the following volcanoes were ranked "very high threat potential".Cascades Volcano Observatory, Main Page -- Risk Assessment of Volcanoes
Retrieved Dec. 29. 2021. *

Crater Lake Crater Lake ( Klamath: ''Giiwas'') is a volcanic crater lake in south-central Oregon in the western United States. It is the main feature of Crater Lake National Park and is famous for its deep blue color and water clarity. The lake partly fill ...

in southwestern

near Klamath Falls *

Glacier Peak Glacier Peak or Dakobed (known in the Sauk-Suiattle dialect of the Lushootseed language as "Tda-ko-buh-ba" or "Takobia") is the most isolated of the five major stratovolcanoes (composite volcanoes) of the Cascade Volcanic Arc in the U.S state ...

in northern

Mount Baker Mount Baker ( Lummi: '; nok, Kw’eq Smaenit or '), also known as Koma Kulshan or simply Kulshan, is a active glacier-covered andesitic stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc and the North Cascades of Washington in the United States. ...

in northern Washington *

Mount Hood Mount Hood is a potentially active stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc. It was formed by a subduction zone on the Pacific coast and rests in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located about east-southeast of Portl ...

in northwestern Oregon near Portland *

Mount Rainier Mount Rainier (), indigenously known as Tahoma, Tacoma, Tacobet, or təqʷubəʔ, is a large active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest, located in Mount Rainier National Park about south-southeast of Seattle. With a ...

in central Washington near Tacoma * Mount St. Helens in southwestern Washington near

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. ...

Newberry Volcano Newberry Volcano is a large active shield-shaped stratovolcano located about south of Bend, Oregon, United States, east of the major crest of the Cascade Range, within the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. Its highest point is Paulina Peak ...

in central Oregon near Bend * Three Sisters in west central Oregon near Bend The following volcanoes were ranked "high threat potential": * Mount Adams in southwestern Washington The following volcanoes were ranked "moderate threat potential": *

Mount Bachelor Mount Bachelor, formerly named Bachelor Butte, is a dormant stratovolcano atop a shield volcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc and the Cascade Range of central Oregon. Named Mount Bachelor because it stands apart from the nearby Three Sisters, ...

in west central Oregon near Bend The following volcanoes were ranked "Low to Very Low Threat Potential": * Belknap Crater in central Oregon * Black Butte Crater Lava Field in southern

near

Shoshone The Shoshone or Shoshoni ( or ) are a Native American tribe with four large cultural/linguistic divisions: * Eastern Shoshone: Wyoming * Northern Shoshone: southern Idaho * Western Shoshone: Nevada, northern Utah * Goshute: western Utah, easte ...

* Blue Lake Crater in northern Oregon * Cinnamon Butte in southwestern Oregon near Crater Lake * Craters of the Moon Volcanic Field in southeastern Idaho near Pocatello * Davis Lake Volcanic Field in central Oregon * Devils Garden Volcanic Field in central Oregon * Diamond Craters in southeastern Oregon near Burns * Hell's Half Acre Lava Field in southeastern Idaho near Idaho Falls * Indian Heaven in southwestern Washington near Mount St. Helens * Jordan Craters in southeastern Oregon * Mount Jefferson in northwestern Oregon * Sand Mountain Volcanic Field in west central Oregon near Mount Jefferson * Wapi Lava Field in southeastern Idaho near Pocatello * West Crater in southwestern Washington near Mount St. Helens There are other volcanoes in the northern Cascades region that have not been assessed one of these risk levels which warrant monitoring. Volcanoes that have not erupted during the

Holocene The Holocene ( ) is the current geological epoch. It began approximately 11,650 cal years Before Present (), after the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene togeth ...

period were not included. USGS has noted, though less probable, that it is still possible for volcanoes to erupt on longer intervals than mentioned.

References

External links

* Earth sciences Government agencies established in 1980 Buildings and structures in Vancouver, Washington Volcano observatories Volcanoes of the United States United States Geological Survey Buildings and structures in Washington (state) {{volcanology-stub