Scientists find growing land bulge in Oregon
PORTLAND, Oregon (Reuters) – A large, slow-growing volcanic bulge in Eastern Oregon is attracting the attention of seismologists who say that the rising ground could be the beginnings of a volcano or simply magma shifting underground.
Scientists said that the 100 square-mile (260 sq-km) bulge, first discovered by satellite, poses no immediate threat to nearby residents.“It is perfectly safe for anyone over there,” said Michael Lisowski, geophysicist at the United States Geological Survey’s Cascades Volcano Observatory in Vancouver, Washington.
The bulge is rising at a rate of about 1.4 inches per year, according to a report issued by the
U.S. Geological Survey.The bulge is located in a sparsely populated area 3 miles southwest of South Sister, a mountain 25 miles west of Bend, Oregon.
Lisowski said the unnamed bulge was created because of a big cavity, estimated to be about 4.5 miles below the surface, that is filling with fluid.
The fluid is likely magma, but could also be water. It was described in the report as a lake 1 mile across and 65 feet deep.
The bulge is a bare patch of land with no residents, and anyone in the area would not be able to see, feel or smell anything, seismologists said.
Source: Yahoo!News © 2005 Reuters Limited
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