During March 24 to April 3, 2022, seismologists at the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO) and the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network (PNSN) observed a slight uptick in seismic activity at Newberry Volcano. The seismicity is the most significant seismic sequence that has occurred at Newberry in terms of longevity and event rate since 2012. However, given that Newberry has a relatively high background rate of seismicity, seismologists do not consider the current seismicity to be a significant departure from normal activity. No ground deformation has been recorded by CVO’s network of GPS stations at Newberry Volcano, and there are no other indications of unrest. The color code and alert level for Newberry Volcano remain at Green / Normal.

From March 24 through April 3, 2022 the PNSN located 29 shallow (less than 2 km (1 mile) deep) earthquakes beneath the eastern shore of Paulina Lake. The largest earthquake was a magnitude 1.7 that occurred at 8:57 PM PDT on March 24. None of the earthquakes have been large enough to be felt.

In addition to the 29 earthquakes located by the PNSN, over one hundred other earthquakes have occurred that are too small to locate, most of which have occurred since March 30. These small events are likely occurring in the same shallow region as the larger earthquakes. All of these earthquakes are occurring in an area under Newberry where earthquakes commonly occur and are likely the result of fluids moving in the hydrothermal system. Scientists at CVO and the PNSN will closely monitor data in the coming days and weeks and will issue further updates as warranted.

Seismic monitoring at Newberry began in 2012 when CVO scientists installed an 8-station network of seismic and GPS sensors. Several hundred earthquakes have been located by the PNSN since then, making Newberry one of the more seismically active volcanoes in the Cascade Range.