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State shifts in the deep Critical Zone drive landscape evolution in volcanic terrains

December 2, 2024

Understanding the near-surface environment where atmospheric and solid earth processes interact, often termed the “Critical Zone,” is important for assessing resources and building resilient societies. Here, we examine a volcanic landscape in the Oregon Cascade Range, an understudied Critical Zone setting that is host to major regional water resources, pervasive silicate weathering, and significant geohazards. We leverage a bedrock age chronosequence to show that the volcanic Critical Zone undergoes a structural shift, from depth extents of >1 km to meters, over timescales of ~1 My. We map an active groundwater volume comparable to major continental lakes, stored at the Cascade Range crest. This state shift makes volcanic landscape evolution a unique probe of deep coupling between Earth systems.

Publication Year 2025
Title State shifts in the deep Critical Zone drive landscape evolution in volcanic terrains
DOI 10.1073/pnas.2415155122
Authors Leif Karlstrom, Nathaniel Klema, Gordon E. Grant, Carol A. Finn, Pamela L. Sullivan, Sarah Cooley, Alex Simpson, Becky Fasth, Katherine Cashman, Ken Ferrier, Lyndsay B. Ball, Daniele McKay
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title PNAS
Index ID 70262468
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center
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