Mount Hood, the king mountain of Oregon, may be more dangerous than we thought. According to recent research and discoveries, A series of fault lines near the active volcano could wreak havoc on Portland.
In case Oregon geography isn’t a personal passion of yours, Mount Hood is an active stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc of northern Oregon. It’s the state’s highest mountain, often stretching past the clouds.
According to recent reports by KGW-TV, a number of different fault lines stretch in multiple directions from Mount Hood, extending as far as the Columbia River. Ian Madin of the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries, in collaboration with Ashley Streig of Portland State University, found the fault lines using a new form of imaging technology, verifying their findings with on-site investigations.
Here’s the problem: Given the active state of Mount Hood, it could set off an extremely powerful earthquake. Streig describes the potency of such a natural disaster as “strong ground motions and could suffer liquefaction damage along waterfront areas.” Madin preferred the simple description of “It could knock you off your feet.”
It doesn’t take very much motion to cause severe damage. We hope those in the vicinity of the mountain are safe and that nothing occurs. Or at least that you’re prepared if things go bad.