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 (state), Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as m ...

. 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), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on Mar ...

(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 (state), Washington. A pr ...

, who was killed by the

1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens In March 1980, a series of volcanic explosions and pyroclastic flows began at Mount St. Helens in Skamania County, Washington, United States. A series of Phreatic eruption, phreatic blasts occurred from the summit and escalated until a major ...

. The observatory's current territory covers

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, Washington, and

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

. The Cascade Range's extent includes northern

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, and Cascade volcanoes in that state, such as

Mount Shasta Mount Shasta ( ; Shasta people, Shasta: ''Waka-nunee-Tuki-wuki''; Karuk language, Karuk: ''Úytaahkoo'') is a Volcano#Volcanic activity, potentially active stratovolcano at the southern end of the Cascade Range in Siskiyou County, California. A ...

and Lassen Peak, previously fell under the CVO's jurisdiction. However, these volcanoes now fall under the jurisdiction of the California Volcano Observatory (CalVO), formed in February 2012 and based in

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

, which monitors and researches volcanic activity throughout California and

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

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

United States government The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the Federation#Federal governments, national government of the United States. The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct ...

. 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 (state), Washington, located in Clark County, Washington, Clark County. Founded in 1825 and incorporated in 1857, Vancouver had a population of 190, ...

in the

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

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 the 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 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 Volcanoes, Cascade Volcanic Arc ...

in northern Washington * Mount Baker in northern Washington *

Mount Hood Mount Hood, also known as Wy'east, is an active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range and is a member of the Cascade Volcanic Arc. It was formed by a subduction zone on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast and rests in the Pacific N ...

in northwestern Oregon near Portland *

Mount Rainier Mount Rainier ( ), also known as Tahoma, is a large active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest in the United States. The mountain is located in Mount Rainier National Park about south-southeast of Seattle. With an off ...

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 List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

* Newberry Volcano 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 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 ), also known by the endonym Newe, are an Native Americans in the United States, Indigenous people of the United States with four large cultural/linguistic divisions: * Eastern Shoshone: Wyoming * Northern Shoshon ...

* 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 geologic time scale, geological epoch, beginning approximately 11,700 years ago. It follows the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene to ...

period were not included. USGS has noted, though less probable, that it is still possible for volcanoes to erupt at longer intervals than mentioned. CVO also does not monitor underwater volcanoes such as

Axial Seamount Axial Seamount (also Coaxial Seamount or Axial Volcano) is a seamount, submarine volcano, and underwater shield volcano in the Pacific Ocean, located on the Juan de Fuca Ridge, approximately west of Cannon Beach, Oregon. Standing high, Axial S ...

off the coast of Oregon, because underwater volcanoes in the region pose "no threat to people or ocean travel" and "USGS focuses its effort on volcanoes that pose a threat to life and property".

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