Deschutes & Ochoco National Forests
Crooked River National Grassland

Geologic Sites

The dynamic nature of the Earth is highly evident in the landscape of Central Oregon. This landscape provides a look at a terrain that continues to re-shape itself as a result of changing climate and volcanic activity.

During worldwide Ice Ages, glaciers advanced and retreated in the Cascade Range, while volcanoes erupted, buliding new mountain peaks.With each advance, glacier cut deep into the mountains leaving canyons and hollowed-out volcanoes such as Broken Top.

Central Oregon has a world-class volcanic landscape. The great diversity of volcanic landforms includes abundant lava flows, cinder cones, tuff rings, maars, tephra sheets, shield volcanoes, and stratovolcanoes, each with their own diversity. Other remarkable features include lava tubes, spatter cones, lava domes, craters, ash-flow deposits, welded tuffs, and lahars.

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