The Volcano Effect
Posted by: 
Volcanoguy
N 43° 34.847 W 121° 51.129
10T E 592673 N 4825953
This geology sign is located at the Maiden Peak Viewpoint on the Cascade Lakes Highway.
Waymark Code: WMD588
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 11/20/2011
Views: 1
This sign is located on the Cascade Lakes Highway at the Maiden Peak Viewpoint.
Marker Name: The Volcano Effect
Marker Text: A long time ago a mountain called Mazama blew its top and became a lake called Crater.
Nearly 7,700 years ago, Mount Mazama erupted approximately 70 miles southeast of here. This cataclysmic eruption not only formed Crater Lake, it changed this forest forever.
Before the eruption, ponderosa trees once extended down into the basin. Now, lodgepole pines are the only ones that can survive harsh conditions on the basin floor.
The eruption buried everything around you with three to five feet of pumice and ash. Pumice is volcanic foam that is nearly 80 percent air. On clear cold nights, pumice quickly loses its daytime heat and becomes an air conditioner that cools ground surface air. As this air cools, it settles into the basin at temperatures below 23 degrees Fahrenheit.
Lodgepole pine seedlings do well in these colder temperatures but ponderosa pine seedlings need the warmer temperatures that are found upslope from where you are standing.
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