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Research about California, Oregon, Washington

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including California, Oregon, Washington.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
USGS1997

Living with volcanic risk in the Cascades

The Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest has more than a dozen potentially active volcanoes. Cascade volcanoes tend to erupt explosively, and on average two eruptions occur per century—the most recent were at Mount St. Helens, Washington (1980–86 and 2004–8), and Lassen Peak, California (1914–17). To help protect the Pacific Northwest’s rapidly expanding population, USGS scientists at the Cascades Volcano Observatory in Vancouver, Washington, monitor and assess the hazards posed by the region’s volcanoes.

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USGS1995

Radiocarbon evidence for extensive plate-boundary rupture about 300 years ago at the Cascadia subduction zone

The Cascadia subduction zone, a region of converging tectonic plates along the Pacific coast of North America, has a geological history of very large plate-boundary earthquakes1,2, but no such earthquakes have struck this region since Euro-American settlement about 150 years ago. Geophysical estimates of the moment magnitudes (Mw) of the largest such earthquakes range from 8 (ref. 3).to 91/2 (ref. 4). Radiocarbon dating of earthquake-killed vegetation can set upper bounds on earthquake size by constraining the length of plate boundary that ruptured in individual earthquakes. Such dating has shown that the most recent rupture, or series of ruptures, extended at least 55 km along the Washington coast within a period of a few decades about 300 years ago5. Here we report 85 new 14C ages, which suggest that this most recent rupture (or series) extended at least 900 km between southern British Columbia and northern California. By comparing the 14C ages with written records of the past 150 years, we conclude that a single magnitude 9 earthquake, or a series of lesser earthquakes, ruptured most of the length of the Cascadia subduction zone between the late 1600s and early 1800s, and probably in the early 1700s.

California, Oregon, Washington↗
USGS1995

Breeding seabirds in California, Oregon and Washington

More than two million seabirds of 29 species nest along the west coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington, including three species listed on the federal list of threatened and endangered species: the brown pelican ( Pelecanus occidentalis ), least tern ( Sterna antillarum ), and marbled murrelet ( Brachyramphus marmoratus ). The size and diversity of the breeding seabird community in this region reflect excellent nearshore prey conditions; subtropical waters within the southern California Bight area; complex tidal waters of Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound in Washington; large estuaries at San Francisco Bay, Columbia River, and Grays Harbor-Willapa bays; and the variety of nesting habitats used by seabirds throughout the region, including islands, mainland cliffs, old-growth forests, and artificial structures. Breeding seabird populations along the west coast have declined since European settlement began in the late 1700's because of human occupation of, commercial use of, and introduction of mammalian predators to seabird nesting islands. In the 1900's, further declines occurred in association with rapid human population growth and intensive commercial use of natural resources in the Pacific region. In particular, severe adverse impacts have occurred from partial or complete nesting habitat destruction on islands or the mainland, human disturbance of nesting islands or areas, marine pollution, fisheries, and logging of old-growth forests (Ainley and Lewis 1974; Bartonek and Nettleship 1979; Hunt et al. 1979; Sowls et al. 1980; Nettleship et al. 1984; Speich and Wahl 1989; Ainley and Boekelheide 1990; Sealy 1990; Ainley and Hunt 1991; Carter and Morrison 1992; Carter et al. 1992; Vermeer et al. 1993).

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USGS1991

Radiocarbon test of earthquake magnitude at the Cascadia subduction zone

The Cascadia subduction zone, which extends along the northern Pacific coast of North America, might produce earthquakes of magnitude 8 or 9 ('great' earthquakes) even though it has not done so during the past 200 years of European observation 1–7 . Much of the evidence for past Cascadia earthquakes comes from former meadows and forests that became tidal mudflats owing to abrupt tectonic subsidence in the past 5,000 years 2,3,6,7 . If due to a great earthquake, such subsidence should have extended along more than 100 km of the coast 2 . Here we investigate the extent of coastal subsidence that might have been caused by a single earthquake, through high-precision radiocarbon dating of coastal trees that abruptly subsided into the intertidal zone. The ages leave the great-earthquake hypothesis intact by limiting to a few decades the discordance, if any, in the most recent subsidence of two areas 55 km apart along the Washington coast. This subsidence probably occurred about 300 years ago.

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USGS1989

Regional crustal structure and tectonics of the Pacific Coastal States: California, Oregon, and Washington

The Pacific Coastal States form a complex geologic environment in which the crust and lithosphere have been continuously reworked. We divide the region tectonically into the southern transform regime of the San Andreas fault and the northern subduction regime, and summarize the geophysical framework with contour maps of crustal thickness, lithospheric and seismicity cross sections, and results from site-specific geophysical studies. The uniformity of crustal thickness (30 ± 2 km) in southern California is remarkable, and appears to be primarily the result of crustal extension in the Mojave Desert and ductile shear of the lower crust along the plate transform boundary. Southern California seismicity defines a broad zone of deformation that extends from the Borderland to the Mojave Desert (about 300 km). The geophysical framework of central and northern California records magmatism and accretion associated with the Mesozoic and Cenozoic subduction, late Cenozoic transform faulting, and in the Basin and Range to the east, extension. The crust thickens from about 20 km at the coast to as much as 55 km in the Sierra Nevada, and thins to about 30 km in the Basin and Range. Cross sections of the crust show that seismic velocities and densities vary significantly over short distances perpendicular to the coast, reflecting processes that include the accretion of oceanic sediments and igneous crust, and significant lateral motion of crustal blocks. Maximum hypocentral depths in central California become deeper as the crust thickens to the west, but seismicity is low beneath the Great Valley and Sierra Nevada, which together appear to form a relatively undeforming block. The lower crust of the Pacific Coastal States has a high average seismic velocity (6.7 km/sec or greater), which probably is the product of tectonic underplating of oceanic crust and/or magmatic underplating by a basaltic melt.

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USGS1989

Species profiles: Life histories and environmental requirements of coastal fishes and invertebrates (Pacific Northwest)--ghost and blue mud shrimp

Geographic range: The ghost shrimp is found in intertidal areas along the west coast of North America from Mutiny Bay, Alaska, to the mouth of the Tijuana River, San Diego County, California; MacGinitie (1934) and Ricketts and Calvin (1968) reported finding specimens as far south as El Estuario de Punto Banda, Baja California Norte, Mexico. The blue mud shrimp is found from southeastern Alaska to San Quentin Bay (Bahia de San Quentin) in Baja California Norte. The general distribution of the two species in the Pacific Northwest is identical (Figure 3).

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USGS1986

Ice volumes on Cascade Volcanoes: Mount Rainier, Mount Hood, Three Sisters, and Mount Shasta

During the eruptions of Mount St. Helens the occurrence of floods and mudflows made apparent the need for predictive water-hazard analysis of other Cascade volcanoes. A basic requirement for such analysis is information about the volumes and distributions of snow and ice on other volcanoes. A radar unit contained in a backpack was used to make point measurements of ice thickness on major glaciers of Mount Rainier, Wash.; Mount Hood, Oreg.; the Three Sisters, Oreg.; and Mount Shasta, Calif. The measurements were corrected for slope and were used to develop subglacial contour maps from which glacier volumes were measured. These values were used to develop estimation methods for finding volumes of unmeasured glaciers. These methods require a knowledge of glacier slope, altitude, and area and require an estimation of basal shear stress, each estimate derived by using topographic maps updated by aerial photographs. The estimation methods were found to be accurate within ?20 percent on measured glaciers and to be within ?25 percent when applied to unmeasured glaciers on the Cascade volcanoes. The estimation methods may be applicable to other temperate glaciers in similar climatic settings. Areas and volumes of snow and ice are as follows: Mount Rainier, 991 million ft2, 156 billion ft3; Mount Hood, 145 million ft2, 12 billion ft3; Three Sisters, 89 million ft2, 6 billion ft3; and Mount Shasta, 74 million ft2, 5 billion ft3. The distribution of ice and firn patches within 58 glacierized basins on volcanoes is mapped and listed by altitude and by watershed to facilitate water-hazard analysis.

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USGS1984

Neogene molluscan stages of the West Coast of North America

Neogene marine sediments of the West Coast of North America were deposited in a series of widely spaced basins that extended geographically from the western and northern Gulf of Alaska (60°N) to southern California (33°N). Rich molluscan faunas occur extensively throughout these deposits and form the basis for biostratigraphic schemes that are useful for correlating within and between individual basins. Early biostratigraphic work was concerned with faunas from particular horizons and with the stratigraphic range of diverse taxa, such as Pecten and Turritella , without reference to other fossil groups. Succeeding work increasingly dealt with the relationships of molluscan zones to benthic and, later, planktonic foraminiferal stages. In recent years the age limits of Neogene molluscan stages have become better documented by reference to planktonic microfossils from dated DSDP cores and onshore faunas. Neogene molluscan faunas from California, the Pacific Northwest states (Oregon and Washington), and southern Alaska have been treated separately due to differences in faunal composition and geographic isolation. As a result, a different biostratigraphic sequence has been described for each region. Pacific Northwest stages have been formally named and defined, and their names are also used informally for Alaskan faunas. California Neogene stages were proposed early in this century, are in need of redescription, and their usage is informal. Precise correlations between the three regional sequences have not yet been achieved, due to the low number of co-occurring species and the general lack of planktonic microfossils in these largely shallow-water faunas. The objectives of ongoing research include: fuller documentation of the faunas of California and Pacific Northwest stages; formal description of California stages; improved correlation between regional stage sequences; refinement of age estimates for stage boundaries; and, establishment of Neogene stages for Alaskan faunas.

California, Oregon, Washington↗
USGS1984

Ice volumes on Cascade volcanoes: Mount Rainier, Mount Hood, Three Sisters, and Mount Shasta

During the eruptions of Mount St. Helens the occurrence of floods and mudflows made apparent the need for predictive water-hazard analysis of other Cascade volcanoes. A basic requirement for such analysis is information about the volumes and distributions of snow and ice on other volcanoes. A radar unit contained in a backpack was used to make point measurements of ice thickness on major glaciers of Mount Rainier, Washington; Mount Hood, Oregon; the Three Sisters, Oregon; and Mount Shasta, California. The measurements were corrected for slope and were used to develop subglacial contour maps from which glacier volumes were measured. These values were used to develop estimation methods for finding volumes of unmeasured glaciers. These methods require a knowledge of glacier slope, altitude and area, and an estimation of basal shear stress, with each derived using topographic maps updated by aerial photographs. The estimation methods were found to be accurate within + 20 percent on measured glaciers, and to be within + 25 percent when applied to unmeasured glaciers on the Cascade volcanoes. The estimation methods may be applicable to other temperate glaciers in similar climatic settings. Areas and volumes of snow and ice are as follows: Mount Rainier 991 million ft 2 , 156 billion ft 3 ; Mount Hood 145 million ft 2 , 12 billion ft 3 ; Three Sisters 89 million ft 2 , 6 billion ft 3 ; and Mount Shasta 74 million ft 2 , 5 billion ft 3 . The distribution of ice and firn patches within 58 glacierized basins on volcanoes are mapped and listed by altitude and by watershed to facilitate water hazard-analysis.

California, Oregon, Washington↗
USGS1983

Gravity studies in the Cascade Range

A compatible set of gravity data has been compiled for the entire Cascade Range. From this data set a series of interpretive color gravity maps have been prepared, including a free air anomaly map, Bouguer anomaly map at a principle, and an alternate reduction density, and filtered and derivative versions of the Bouguer anomaly map. The regional anomaly pattern and gradients outline the various geological provinces adjacent to the Cascade Range and delineate major structural elements in the range. The more local anomalies and gradients may delineate low density basin and caldera fill, faults, and shallow plutons. Refs.

California, Oregon, Washington↗
USGS1982

Geothermal systems of the Cascade Range

In the central and southern Cascade Range, plate convergence is oblique, and Quaternary volcanism produces mostly basalt and mafic andesite; large andesite-dacite composite volcanoes and silicic dome fields occur in restricted areas of long-lived igneous activity. To the north, plate convergence is normal, producing widely spaced centers in which mafic lavas are minor. Most Cascade volcanoes are short-lived and unlikely to be underlain at shallow levels by large magma bodies that could support high-temperature geothermal systems. Such systems are known, however, near Meager Mountain, at Newberry Volcano, and near Lassen Peak. Persistent fumaroles occur on several major composite volcanoes, but drilling to date has been insufficient to determine whether exploitable geothermal reservoirs occur at depth. Thermal springs away from the major volcanic centers are few and generally inconspicuous. However, significant geothermal systems along and west of the Cascade Range may well be masked by abundant cold ground water.

California, Oregon, Washington↗
USGS1979

Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas information program; Pacific index

The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act of 1953, as amended in 1978, (43 U.S.C. 1331 et seq.), grants to the Secretary of the Interior the authority to issue leases for minerals on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). It provides the authority and guidelines which the Secretary utilizes for expeditious exploration and development of the OCS while ensuring timely access to information by affected states and local governments in order that appropriate planning will anticipate and ameliorate impacts from such OCS activities. This document is prepared in accordance with Part 30 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Section 252.5 and 43 CFR, Section 3300.2, which require that the Directors of the U.S. Geological Survey and the Bureau of Land Management shall make available an Index, listing all relevant, actual or proposed programs, plans, reports, environmental impact statements and other lease sale information, on a regular basis, to each affected state and, upon request, to the executive of any local government whose jurisdiction covers an area affected by OCS activities. Accordingly, the Geological Survey and the Bureau of Land Management are cooperating in a joint effort to compile all relevant information on the OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program in an Index with four volumes; Alaska, Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Pacific. This volume is a listing of documents used in the Pacific Area OCS decisionmaking process, and the sequence of information presented parallels this process. The bibliographic references are presented by lease sale number, in the sequence in which the documents are generated in the Federal OCS leasing program. Thus, the reader may compare all documents of one type in the Pacific Area or trace a single lease sale throughout the entire leasing process. Activities which generate information throughout the OCS lease sale process are described under Other Documentation and Supplemental Reading. Other Documentation pertains to Federal data gathering and analysis programs which are an integral part of the OCS decisionmaking process and are used throughout the process due to the usefulness of their subject matter. The Supplemental Reading documents (Appendix A) are not used in decisionmaking but are invaluable sources of general OCS information.

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