Mount Hood
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Mount Hood volcano, Oregon's highest peak, forms a prominent backdrop to the state's largest city, Portland, and contributes valuable water, scenic, and recreational resources that help sustain the agricultural and tourist segments of the economies of surrounding cities and counties.
Summary
Mount Hood has erupted episodically for about 500,000 years and hosted two major eruptive periods during the past 1,500 years. During both recent eruptive periods, growing lava domes high on the southwest flank collapsed repeatedly to form pyroclastic flows and lahars that were distributed primarily to the south and west along the Sandy River and its tributaries. The last eruptive period began in AD 1781 and affected the White River as well as Sandy River valleys. The Lewis and Clark Expedition explored the mouth of the Sandy River in 1805 and 1806 and described a river much different from today's Sandy. At that time the river was choked with sediment generated by erosion of the deposits from the eruption, which had stopped about a decade before their visit. In the mid-1800's, local residents reported minor explosive activity, but since that time the volcano has been quiet.
News
Three new monitoring stations installed at Mount Hood
These stations enhance the existing monitoring network at this high-threat volcano and improve the ability of CVO scientists and their partners to detect and provide warning of any changes in earthquake activity or ground deformation that may signal an increase in volcanic activity and a subsequent danger to people and property.
USGS to Install New Volcano Early Detection and Monitoring Stations at Mount Hood--Improving Early Detection of Unrest at this Active Volcano
New sensor network will help safeguard lives and property, and because of the relatively small footprint, there will be very little disturbance to the environment and wildlife in the area.
Earthquake swarm at Mount Hood July 8-9, 2019
Earthquakes occurring on tectonic faults and are not directly related to volcanic processes occurring beneath Mount Hood