Rock, Water and a Hard Place - Deschutes County, Oregon
Posted by: 
Volcanoguy
N 43° 56.434 W 121° 24.845
10T E 627276 N 4866494
Sign along river trail below Benham Falls.
Waymark Code: WM3XJW
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 05/31/2008
Views: 14
Sign along river trail below Benham Falls.
Marker Name: Rock, Water and a Hard Place
Marker Text: Lava flows from Newberry Volcano and the Cascades have been pushing the Deschutes River around for a long, long time.
About 6,600 years ago, lava from Lava Butte on Newberry’s west flank crossed the river and pushed up against Benham Butte (a Cascades relative) creating a dam. A lake formed, filled up and eventually spilled over a low saddle at Benham Butte creating a waterfall. Water flowed along the west edge of the Lava Butte Flow from Benham Falls to Lava Island Falls carving a new channel.
Simple, right? Happened thousands of times around here, right? Actually, yes. Benham Falls and the Deschutes River are great examples of water pushing back -- water always wins.
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