Summary
Newberry volcano is a broad shield volcano
located in central Oregon. It has been
built by thousands of eruptions, beginning
about 600,000 years ago. At least 25 vents on
the flanks and summit have been active during
several eruptive episodes of the past 10,000
years. The most recent eruption 1,300 years ago
produced the Big Obsidian Flow. Thus, the
volcano's long history and recent activity
indicate that Newberry will erupt in the future. The most-visited part of the volcano is
Newberry Crater, a volcanic depression or caldera at the summit of the volcano. Seven
campgrounds, two resorts, six summer homes,
and two major lakes (East and Paulina Lakes)
are nestled in the caldera. The caldera has been
the focus of Newberry's volcanic activity for at
least the past 10,000 years. Other eruptions
during this time have occurred along a rift zone
on the volcano's northwest flank and, to a lesser
extent, the south flank.
Many striking volcanic features lie in
Newberry National Volcanic Monument, which
is managed by the U.S. Forest Service. The
monument includes the caldera and extends
along the northwest rift zone to the Deschutes River. About 30 percent of the area within the
monument is covered by volcanic products
erupted during the past 10,000 years from
Newberry volcano.
Newberry volcano is presently quiet. Local
earthquake activity (seismicity) has been
trifling throughout historic time. Subterranean
heat is still present, as indicated by hot springs
in the caldera and high temperatures
encountered during exploratory drilling for
geothermal energy.
This report describes the kinds of hazardous
geologic events that might occur in the future at
Newberry volcano. A hazard-zonation map is
included to show the areas that will most likely
be affected by renewed eruptions. In terms of
our own lifetimes, volcanic events at
Newberry are not of day-to-day concern
because they occur so infrequently; however, the consequences of some types of eruptions
can be severe. When Newberry volcano
becomes restless, be it tomorrow or many years
from now, the eruptive scenarios described
herein can inform planners, emergency
response personnel, and citizens about the kinds
and sizes of events to expect.
- Digital data release
Schilling, S.P., Doelger, S., Sherrod, D.R., Mastin, L.G., and Scott, W.E., 2008, Digital data for volcano hazards at Newberry Volcano, Oregon: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2007-1225 https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1225/
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First posted August 1, 2008
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