Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 9, 2022)
Wednesday, February 9, 2022 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon BULGE: Rate of uplift is increasing but <there9s no imminent threat= Continued from page 1 making its way to the sur- face and poised for an erup- tion,= he elaborated, adding, <We9re not seeing any of that right now.= The last eruption on any of the Three Sisters was a mere 2,200 years ago 3 yesterday in geologic time. The strato- volcanoes were constructed between 150,000 and 50,000 years ago for North Sister and 50,000 to 15,000 years ago for Middle and South. What USGS is seeing with the aid of satellite imag- ery is an upward shift in the ground of less than an inch, across a 12-mile area west of South Sister. One might ask if it9s even worth mention- ing. Maybe. Maybe not. But if USGS finds it interesting, then by extension so do we, yet in a wider context. There are moraine- damned lakes on the Sisters, some of which hold a lot of water. These freshwater lakes are formed behind a moraine or ice dam. One in particu- lar, Carver Lake on the east side of South Sister about 12 miles from town, could be breached in the event of a major seismic event. Should we worry? Not seriously, according to scientist David George, who studies in detail things most would find tedious. George notes that the outlet channel for Carver is a small tributary of Whychus Creek. Models, however, illustrate that a big chunk of town could be under anywhere from .05 to .25 meters (1.95 to 9.75 inches) of water, and in areas close by Whychus and smaller creeks, double that. That would seem fairly catastrophic to the untrained o b s e r v e r. B u t G e o rg e explained in a seven-page technical report: <Compared to earlier studies employing 1-D equations and coarse topography, our modeling suggests a strikingly different result for our test case involv- ing inundation near Sisters. Owing in part to the use of 2-D equations as well as high-resolution lidar topogra- phy, our results suggest that flow avulsion and diversion on the alluvial fan surround- ing Sisters would lead to a less severe flood hazard to the community.= (Emphasis added.) Seismic activity like this also gets the attention of the Forest Service, who main- tains two earthen dams at Upper and Lower Three Creeks Lake. Sisters District Manager Ian Reid tells The Nugget that it is only coin- cidental that these dams are under review in 2022. <It9s part of a routine inspection and analysis that we undertake every so many years,= he said. <These are old dams.= The larger of the lakes is 28 acres and is 28 feet deep in the center. That equates to about 230 million gallons of water. Reid says that water, if breached, would not find its way to the city. And while old and under observation, there is nothing to suggest an imminent break. Officials regularly warn of a potentially devastating earthquake at the Cascadia Subduction Zone just off the Oregon coast. Central Oregon is affected by the same subduction zone, which created the Cascades millions of years ago. At the Cascadia Subduction Zone, the Juan de Fuca Plate is being sub- ducted under the North American Plate, creating the potential for both quakes and eruptions. When that happens, the plate goes down and cre- ates lava, magma. Below the Cascades, there are magma chambers. It9s simple: the Cascade Mountain Range is an active volcanic area, and activity occasionally reminds us that we live among volcanoes. 21 Base from U.S. Dept. Agriculture orthophototgraph, 2014. Cultural features modified from U.S. Geological Survey and State of Oregon digital data, various scales. Universal Transverse Mercator Zone 10 projection. North American Datum of 1983. The Arends Realty Group Squaw Creek Canyon Estates Lot 70184 Pinto Drive, Sisters P ENDING PENDING 2.5 acre lot. Permits in place for homesite, driveway, and septic. Utilities at the street. No need for a well; Avion Water services the area. Bend Broadband in place. Property cleared and partially fenced. No HOA. Paved community. $370,000. MLS#220138540 13470 Foin-Follette GM 299 Black Butte Ranch $1,975,000 Phil Arends Principal Broker 541.420.9997 Sheila Jones, Broker phil.arends@cascadesir.com GRI, ABR, SRS, RENEE 503-949-0551 | sheila@stellarnw.com m 382 E. Hood Ave., Ste A-East, Sisters s sheila.oregonpropertyfinders.com 70470 Twistedstock GM12 Black Butte Ranch $1,195,000 Thomas Arends Broker 541.285.1535 thomas.arends@cascadesir.com www.arendsrealtygroup.com cascadesothebysrealty.com | 290 E. Cascade Ave. | PO Box 609 | Sisters, OR 97759 EACH OFFICE IS INDEPENDENTLY OWNED AND OPERATED. LICENSED IN THE STATE OF OREGON. Exclusive Onsite Realtor for th e Ranch G N I D N E P 13400 Fox Tail, Unit 100, Black Butte Ranch Golf course condo with unobstructed views. Two bedrooms, 2 baths, 852 sq. ft. Pristine condition and turnkey. Enjoy Black Butte Ranch golf courses, swimming pools, bike paths, horseback riding, and sport complex. $515,000. MLS#220137926 See all our listings at blackbutterealtygroup.com Open daily, 10 to 4, by the Lodge Pool Complex | 541-595-3838 Black Butte Ranch 541-549-5555 in Sisters, 377 W. Sisters Park Dr. Don Bowler President and Broker 971-244-3012 Gary Yoder Managing Principal Broker 541-420-6708 Ross Kennedy Principal Broker 541-408-1343 Corrie Lake Broker 541-521-2392 Tiff any Hubbard Broker 541-620-2072
