Vanished Volcano - Klamath County, OR
N 42° 44.036 W 122° 01.035
10T E 580447 N 4731737
This roadside orientation table is located just off Hwy 62 and a few miles NW of Fort Klamath in Klamath County, OR.
Waymark Code: WMJCPQ
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 10/30/2013
Views: 2
Travelers along Hwy 62 might notice this roadside display that highlights the history behind Mount Mazama, a former volcano that erupted and eventually imploded on itself, thus creating one of the most beautiful and majestic lakes in all of North America, the ever-popular
Crater Lake. The orientation table gives the visitor a panoramic view of the landscape of Crater Lake, with text pointing to different peaks. Additionally, there's a make-believe illustration of Mount Mazama that portrays what this volcano would have looked like before it erupted 7,700 years ago. The marker text reads:
From here you can see the truncated peaks of an enormous volcano that stood about 12,000 feet, towering over the landscape. Formed slowly over half a million years, the destruction of Mount Mazama took only days. Its climactic eruption 7,700 years ago began with a blast of rock and ash blown into the stratosphere. New vents encircling the peak brought hot flows of pumice, ash, and gas down its flanks burying the landscape, creating this flat valley. So much of the magma chamber was drained, the volcano had no support. It fell in a massive collapse, creating the basin that would hold Crater Lake. You are standing at about the same elevation as the bottom of Crater Lake.
If you have the opportunity to visit Crater Lake National Park, DO IT. It is worth the time to visit and appreciate the beauty and awe-inspiring views that the second-deepest lake in North America offers.