In a USGS Hazard Notification statement Monday, Cascades Volcano Observatory announced their scientists have tracked an increased rate of ground uplift in the Three Sisters volcanic region found in the southwest corner of Oregon.
Using satellite radar images and GPS units, USGS scientists have tracked an increased rate of uplift for a 12-mile diameter region, 3 miles west of the South Sister volcano. According to USGS, the data suggests the ground rose 0.9 inches (2.2 cm) from June 2020 to August 2021.
Scott Burns, a geology professor at Portland State University, told Nexstar's KOIN that while episodes of increased uplift have been observed in this region before, the cause is what local scientists are excited about.
"The Three Sisters area is an area that we've been studying for the last 25 years," Burns explained. "It's very exciting because magma is moving up underneath the volcano ... the last major volcanic eruption in Oregon, which was 2,000 years ago, was right there in that area."
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