Elk Lake Dorr
Posted by: 
Volcanoguy
N 43° 57.860 W 121° 48.488
10T E 595614 N 4868601
This geologic history sign is located at Elk Lake, Oregon.
Waymark Code: WMK7DM
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 02/23/2014
Views: 3
This geologic history sign is located on the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway at Elk Lake, Oregon.
Marker Name: Elk Lake Dorr
Marker Text: About 20,000 years ago, Elk Lake was formed by powerful erosional forces of glacier ice in the ancient Upper Deschutes Valley.
You are standing on the eastern flank of Elk Mountain. The entire area before you was once covered with a sheet of ice 1,300 feet thick. Huge rivers of ice flowed southward from the Cascade crest passing between Elk Mountain and Moolack Butte. Increasing pressures caused the ice to thicken and carve dep into the rocky landscape creating a glacial dorr.
The glacier receded a few thousand years later exposing the carved glacial dorr. As melting glacier water, rain, and snow began to fill the dorr, a small lake was formed. With the eventual eruption of a small volcano called Red Crater, lava flows blocked the southern end of the glacial dorr. This allowed water to collect and the creation of Elk Lake was complete. The south end of the lake has the greatest depth of 75 feet.
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