Geology & Fossils
Oregon isn’t known for its fossils. The remains of ichthyosaurs — dolphin-like marine reptiles that lived during the Age of Dinosaurs — have been found in the Great Basin, which stretches from arid eastern Oregon east and south across arid Utah and Nevada. This is a reminder that Oregon lie under the sea during much of the Age of Dinosaurs.
Today much of Oregon is covered with ancient lava flows. The lavas of the Columbia Plateau stretch from Washington and Idaho south to cover much of Eastern Oregon. Western Oregon is crossed by the Cascades, a coastal mountain chain studded with volcanoes.
But Oregon is not without fossils. Its most famous fossil site is John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, located in northern Oregon, between the Cascades and Blue Mountains. This site preserves fossils of plants and animals that lived during the Miocene Epoch (5-20 million years ago) and Oligocene Epoch (20-36 million years ago).
Volcanoes erupted ash and lava from time to time, burying creatures that lived in the area between eruptions. Today, their fossils tell of a temperate climate, probably fairly similar to Western Oregon today. Animals that lived there included dogs, cats, rodents, and three-toed horses.
Crater Lake
Few places in the United States are more peaceful than Crater Lake, centerpiece of a national park in southern Oregon. The deep blue waters of Crater Lake remind us that Oregon has not always been peaceful however.
About 6,900 years ago, 12,000-foot Mt. Mazama erupted, piling debris a foot deep as much as 75 miles away. The now empty mountain collapsed, forming a caldera. The caldera filled with water to form Crater Lake, at 1,996 feet deep the deepest lake in the United States.
Could Mt. Mazama erupt again? Wizard Island, which rises out of Crater Lake, still reflects volcanic activity.
Mt. Mazama is but one of many volcanoes in the Cascades. Far to the north, not far from the Columbia River is snowcapped Mt. Hood, Oregon’s highest point.
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