LEGACY - Lava Butte - Deschutes County, Oregon - Oregon Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

Geology sign on crater rim at summit parking area.

Marker Name: Lava Butte
Marker Text: Lava Butte rises 500 feet above the surrounding area. The crater before you is 150 feet deep and was the site of fountains of molten rock erupting 6160 years ago. The lava flow which breached the south side of the butte flowed west and north covering 6,100 acres of land. The flow blocked sections of the Deschutes River, forming Benham Falls, Dillon Falls, and Lava Island Falls.
You are standing on the cone’s high side where the prevailing southwest winds deposited more cinders. There is more vegetation on this side because the snow stays longer on the north side and the finer cinders hold moisture longer for the plant life.
This butte was first used as a U.S. Forest Service lookout station in 1928. In 1968 the butte and flows were set aside as a Geological Area. Collection of all rocks, plants, and animals is prohibited. You are invited to visit the Lava Butte Interpretive Facility below the lookout and walk the Crater Rim Trail.

NOTE - The date of 6160 is a C14 date. Since these signs were originally done it has become possible to calibrate C14 to calendar dates. Today the commonly used age in scientific publications for eruptions along the NW Rift Zone, including Lava Butte, is 7,000 calendar years.

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