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A group of University of Wyoming professors and students has identified an unusual belt of igneous rocks that stretches for over 2,000 miles from British Columbia, Canada, through Idaho, Montana, Nevada, southeast California and Arizona to Sonora, Mexico. “Geoscientists usually associate long belts of igneous rocks with chains of volcanoes at subduction zones, like Mount Shasta, Mount Hood, Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainer,” says Jay Chapman, an assistant professor in UW’s Department of Geology and Geophysics. “What makes this finding so interesting and mysterious is that this belt of igneous rocks is located much farther inland, away from the...

PORTLAND -- The U.S. Geological Survey and the Cascades Volcano Observatory hope to install four volcano monitoring stations on the upper flanks of Mount Hood.

Explanation: What kind of cloud is next to that mountain? A lenticular. This type of cloud forms in air that passes over a mountain, rises up again, and cools past the dew point -- so what molecular water carried in the air condenses into droplets. The layered nature of some lenticular clouds may make them appear, to some, as large alien spaceships. In this case, the mountain pictured is Mt. Hood located in Oregon, USA. Lenticular clouds can only form when conditions are right -- for example this is first time this astrophotographer has seen a lenticular cloud at night...

-- Rescuers hoping to find two hikers missing on the frigid slopes of Oregon's Mount Hood faced worsening weather conditions Monday night as forecasters predicted white-out conditions that could severely hinder search efforts. == Up to 2 feet of snow is expected to fall Monday night into Tuesday at the elevation where rescuers are searching for any signs of Anthony Vietti, 24, and Katie Nolan, 29, who have been missing since early Friday. A third hiker who was with them, 26-year-old Luke Gullberg, was found dead Saturday.

Rescuers have begun climbing Mount Hood in an effort to find and help three climbers who slipped over a ledge near Illumination Saddle shortly before noon today. It's unknown how far down the mountain the climbers fell or how badly they are injured, said Jim Strovink, a spokesman for the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office. Complicating the search: Snow and wind have created near-whiteout conditions. The climbers, whose identities were not immediately available, were in a party of eight people, Strovink said. Emergency dispatchers received a cell phone call for help from someone in the party, which is thought to be...

Autopsy shows Mt. Hood climber not injured after all 04:59 PM PST on Wednesday, December 20, 2006 By kgw.com and AP Staff HOOD RIVER, Ore. -- Autopsy results Wednesday showed that Mt. Hood climber Kelly James, whose body was recovered Monday, was not injured as previously thought. AP Photo Brian Hall's sister, Angela Hall (left) and Sheriff Joe Wampler speak to the media. James did not have a dislocated shoulder as reported by authorities earlier this week. Furthermore, James' body showed no broken bones or injuries that would have prevented his mobility, according to the state medical examiner, Dr. Larry...

Photos found with deceased climber Kelly James have raised worries about how long his two colleagues can survive on the brutal summit of Mount Hood, an official said on Tuesday. "We've got some pictures. Kelly James had taken some pictures of his climb," said Hood River County Sheriff Joe Wampler. "So we know pretty much what they had with them," he said. After examining the photos, Wampler said, "looking what they had with them, I'm pretty concerned about how long somebody can last out there."

The search to find two missing climbers alive on Mount Hood is over and it has now become a "recovery effort," Sheriff Joe Wampler said Wednesday. "We've done everything we can at this point," Wampler said. He made the remarks after personally piloting a Piper Cub over the 11,239-foot mountain for new clues. He found none. His decision ends a dramatic nine-day search for three climbers who went missing on Mount Hood on Dec. 11. One of three — Kelly James — was pulled out of a snow cave on Monday. For three days, the volunteers and helicopters scoured the...

It starts with mumbling and stumbling. Then come violent shivers and then, paradoxically, a false sense of warmth that makes some people strip their clothes off. Eventually, they may curl into a fetal position as their muscles go rigid, their skin goes waxy, and the heart slows down, then stops. Whether two climbers missing on Mount Hood for more than a week are still alive is not clear. But if they are somehow still hanging on in the brutal cold and howling winds, perhaps hunkered down in a snow cave, they may be going through what veteran climbers say is...

HOOD RIVER, Ore. - Two climbers still missing on Mount Hood may have been swept to their deaths over a treacherous cliff by howling winds of more than 100 mph after they left their possibly injured companion behind in a snow cave to get help.

HOOD RIVER, Ore. — The air rescue operations have been called off in the search for two missing Mount Hood climbers, FOX News has learned. Search and rescue crews on hill are on much lower elevations and are all volunteer. They will use metal detectors and avalanche poles during their search. Black Hawk helicopters have flown back to their base in Salem, Ore., and the Chinook helicopter will fly back to its base in Pendleton, Ore. The search narrowed Tuesday to a small rugged section of ridge and glacier on the dangerous north side, but searchers say it has had...

One climber found dead on Mt. Hood

HOOD RIVER, Ore. — The body of one of the three climbers who have been missing for 10 days on Mount Hood was discovered in a snow cave late Sunday afternoon. Rescuers dropped search teams near the mountain's 11,239-foot summit from a CH-47 Chinook helicopter flown by pilots who had served in Afghanistan and Iraq. The pararescue team members scaled 300 feet down the nearly vertical face of the northeastern face of the mountain to reach a snow cave that was spotted earlier in the day. The team discovered two ice axes, some rope and a sleeping bag in the...

A missing climber found dead in a snow cave on Mount Hood was identified as a Dallas man who had placed a distress call to relatives a little more than a week ago, a person close to the family said Monday. Searchers found the cave Sunday near the spot located by cell phone signals traced from Kelly James, who made a four-minute call to his family Dec. 10 just below the summit, said Jessica Nunez, a spokeswoman for the climber's family. On Monday, a recovery team was expected to retrieve the body, which remained on the mountain over night because...

A trio of climbers, ascended Mount Hood, under adverse winter conditions — to test their survival skills. The intrepid climbers took gear such as food, fuel, bivvy sacks, a shovel and ropes. These men knew they were taking a big risk – or they would not have taken survival gear with them. Mountain climbing is a sport for the wealthy who can afford to take weeks off from work to indulge in their expensive hobby. These clowns have been missing for over a week, and the state is expending tens of thousands of dollars in search and resuce operations. Why...

Fervent hopes and a brief break in the weather brought no satisfaction to relatives and friends of three climbers missing on the dangerous north side of Mount Hood. The clear, cold morning turned foul by midday Saturday, before searchers on two sides of the mountain and helicopter crews retired for the night because of weather and darkness, finding no trace of the three men. The Hood River County sheriff's office, a lead agency in the search, said efforts would continue Sunday. On Saturday, a C-130 with infrared heat-seeking capability from the Nevada Air National Guard took to the skies over...

Relatives of three men missing in bitter weather on Mount Hood comforted each other and held out hope Friday that the trio survived, eight days after the lightly equipped men left for a two-day ascent. Winds were expected to gust to 100 mph Friday morning in the latest of a string of storms to hit the 11,239-foot mountain, and forecasters said rescuers' next shot to find the men probably would be Saturday. Kelly James, who like Hall is from Dallas, was believed to be holed up in a snow cave near the top, and the other two were thought to...

Search stymied, but families hang on Hood - With harsh conditions, crews discuss the difficulty of survival for the three climbers Thursday, December 14, 2006 MATTHEW PREUSCH and STUART TOMLINSON The Oregonian GOVERNMENT CAMP -- No one went far up the slopes of Mount Hood on Wednesday, and nothing came down but wind, rain and snow. Searchers looking for three climbers missing since last week were unable to get far above the tree line because of knock-down winds and blinding snow. And it's expected to get worse today. "We're limited," said Bernie Wells, search coordinator for the Hood River-based Crag...

Three climbers stranded on blizzard-ravaged Mount Hood selected one of the most difficult approaches to the summit, a decision that is hampering rescue efforts. The trio scaled the north side of the mountain, which offers a view of Mount Rainier but is treacherous, with slopes of 50 or 60 degrees and occasional sheer walls of ice. For rescue crews, the site has been made even more forbidding by snow-laden winds rushing over the steep slopes at speeds up to 80 mph. "Those are the strongest winds I've ever been in — knock you down, hands and knees," said Lindsay Clunes...

MOUNT HOOD - Seismologists are keeping a very close watch on Mount Hood today after at least two moderate earthquakes rattled the area. At 7:36 a.m. an earthquake with a magnitude of 4.5 shook the Mount Hood area. So far there are no reports of damage or injuries. Bill Steele of the University of Washington's Pacific Northwest Seismographic Network said the quake was centered about three miles south of the summit of Mount Hood and was about four miles deep. It was the strongest quake in the area in recent decades, he said, and had been followed by hundreds of...