From dark and dreary to bright and colorful.
A small section of Oregon's Painted Hills, one of the Seven Wonders of Oregon. Another view in comments.
The hills get their name from the striped hues of red, orange, yellow, green, black, and tan running across their slopes.
The area was a river flood plain that has transformed again and again as the climate has shifted, which has allowed layers upon layers of different matter to build up over millennia. Each layer revealed through erosion represents a different era, pointing back in time to everything from volcanic eruptions to lush tropical landscapes.
According to a U.S. Geological Survey, the black soil is fossilized or carbonized vegetative matter, the grey coloring is mudstone, siltstone and shale and the red coloring is ancient soil formed by floodplain deposits.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Tags: Painted Hills Seven Wonders of Oregon Mitchell Oregon
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Mt. Bachelor looming above Oregon's snow-covered Elk Lake.
Another "cool" image for a hot summer day. Walking thru the snow and slush this day is a refreshing memory.
Mount Bachelor is so called because it "stands apart" from the Three Sisters, a group of three volcanic mountains that are northwest of Mount Bachelor.
Mount Bachelor ski area operates a chairlift during the summer as well as during the ski season making it the only major Cascade volcano with a chairlift to the summit. Nationally known, the resort is one of the largest in the Pacific Northwest.
Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Tags: snow slush ice Mt. Bachelor Elk Lake Cascade Lakes Scenic Highway Bend Oregon volcano
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Looking west over a portion of the lava field toward Mt. Bachelor and South Sister in the distance.
Like Pilot Butte in nearby Bend, Lava Butte is one of the hundreds of cinder cones, fissures and vents populating the slopes of the massive Newberry Volcano, and it is a part of one of the most volcanically active geological areas in the country. Standing roughly 500 feet above its surroundings, Lava Butte was created when gas-charged basalt spewed from a fissure, and as the debris cooled in the form of cinders, it gradually piled up.
Thanks for taking a look, and for any comments, faves and suggestions.
Tags: Lava Butte cinder cone volcanic Newberry Volcano Bend Oregon
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Looking S from the edge of Lava Butte's crater.
"Lava Butte is a cinder cone in central Oregon, United States, just west of U.S. Route 97 between the towns of Bend, and Sunriver in Deschutes County. It is part of a system of small cinder cones on the northwest flank of Newberry Volcano, a massive shield volcano which rises to the southeast. The cinder cone is capped by a crater which extends about 60 feet (20 m) deep beneath its south rim, and 160 feet (50 m) deep from the 5,020-foot (1,530 m) summit on its north side. Lava Butte is part of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument.
In July 1966, twenty-two astronauts trained in Central Oregon for the upcoming Moon landings, at sites including Lava Butte, Lava River Cave, and Newberry Crater." Wikipedia
Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Tags: Lava Butte Lava Butte Crater volcano Newberry National Volcanic Monument Bend Oregon
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Looking up a portion of the Trail of the Molten Land at Lava Butte.
Lava Butte is a cinder cone rising 500 feet. A cinder covered trail encircles the rim of the cone with outstanding views.
"The early history of Lava Butte is not known, but it is assumed that Native Americans observed the eruptions and later ascended the prominent new landmark. White settlers arriving in the 1800s also noted the landmark. In 1903, I.C. Russell was the first geologist to study the butte and speculated that it erupted as recently as 150 years ago.
However, like the other cinder cones in the area, Lava Butte only experienced a single eruption, dated by geologists in 1977 to about 7,000 years ago."
Wikipedia
Thank for taking a look!
Tags: Newberry National Volcanic Monument Lava Butte Trail of the Molten Land trails volcanic Bend Oregon
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