Cascades Volcano Observatory
The David A. Johnston Cascades Volcano Observatory is a volcano observatory that monitors volcanoes in the northern Cascade Range. It was established in the summer of 1980, after the eruption of Mount St. Helens. The observatory is named for United States Geological Survey volcanologist David A. Johnston, who was swept away in the Mount St. Helens eruption on the morning of May 18, 1980. The observatory's current territory covers Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. The Cascade Range's extent includes northern California, and Cascade volcanoes in that state, such as Mount Shasta and Lassen Peak, previously fell under the CVO's jurisdiction. However, these volcanoes now fall under the jurisdiction of the California Volcano Observatory, formed in February 2012 and based in Menlo Park, California, which monitors and researches volcanic activity throughout California and Nevada.
The Cascades Volcano Observatory is part of the USGS, a scientific agency of the United States government. It is located in Vancouver, Washington in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area.
