THE LEGACY AND FUTURE OF VOLCANISM ON LANDSCAPES AND WATER IN THE OREGON CASCADE RANGE
Dr. Leif Karlstrom
University of Oregon
On May 27th, Dr. Leif Karlstrom will be presenting on the Legacy and Future of Volcanism on Landscapes and Water in the Oregon Cascade Range. The Oregon Cascade Range showcases interactions between magma and water, Earth’s two most important fluids, in nearly every conceivable way. The region’s topography, geology, climate, water resources, and ecology, not to mention hazards arising from active volcanism, all arise from these interactions over geologic time. Study of this near-surface environment where atmospheric and solid earth processes interact, collectively known as “Critical Zone science”, facilitates natural resource assessment and the building of resilient societies. In this talk I will present recent work on volcanic landscapes of the Oregon Cascade Range, which seeks to understand both the patterns of volcanic processes and the legacy of volcanism generally on the Critical Zone. I will focus on case studies in the Columbia River Gorge and the central Oregon Cascades, highlighting in particular the profound influence of volcanism on groundwater and surface water. In central Oregon, a volcanic bedrock age chronosequence shows that the Critical Zone undergoes a structural shift, from depth extents of >1 kilometer to meters, over timescales of ~1 Million years. This state shift explains the well-known dichotomy between “high Cascades” and “western Cascades” terrains and results in an active groundwater volume comparable to major continental lakes, stored at the Cascade Range crest. The study of volcanic landscape evolution thus provides a unique probe of deep coupling between Earth systems on display in the central Oregon Cascades.
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Dr. Leif Karlstrom is an associate professor at the University of Oregon and an academic expert in volcanoes, glaciers, geomorphology, fluid mechanics and geodynamics. Active volcanic projects include the eruption cycle, magma flow pathways in the crust, flood basalts, the interpretation of volcanic seismicity and landscape evolution in volcanic environments. Glaciological interests include the dynamics and pathways of water movement through glaciers and ice sheets.