LEGACY - The Cascade Range of Oregon - Oregon Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

This sign was located on western edge of summit observation area.



Marker Name: The Cascade Range of Oregon
Marker Text: A chain of ice-carved, towering volcanoes crowns Oregon.
         The majestic Cascade Range is home to magnificent volcanic peaks, thousands of smaller volcanoes, hundreds of lakes and remnants of Ice Age glaciers. Every hill or mountain you see is a volcano. All are members of the global Ring of Fire that surround the Pacific Ocean. Volcanoes built up the Oregon Cascades and glaciers erode them. Many of the lofty peaks along the Cascade crest, such as Mt. Jefferson, Three-Fingered Jack, and Broken Top were deeply gouged out by long-vanished glaciers
         During the peak of the last ice age, 18,000 years ago, the crest of the Central Oregon Cascades lay buried beneath hundreds of feet of ice. Glaciers flowed down both sides of the Cascades scouring land and deepening canyons. They left tall ridges and piles of sand and gravel at their snouts. Imagine driving across the Cascades on highways built on at least 500 feet (152.4 meters) of ice.
         The Cascades began to erupt 40 million years ago. By 20 million years ago, they had grown enough to affect the weather of eastern Oregon. As the grew even taller, a deepening rain shadow spread across eastern Oregon. Today, storms from the Pacific Ocean pay a heavy toll climbing over the Cascades. They must surrender abundant rain and snow.
         The Three Sisters rise to over 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) elevation. All three volcanoes have been dueling with glaciers. Middle and North Sister lost ground when they stopped erupting before the most recent ice age. South Sister continues to rebuild itself with eruptions every several thousand years.
         Barren lava and volcanic ash erupted along the Cascade crest from McKenzie Pass to Santiam Pass. The eruptions built cinder cones and shield volcanoes, filled river channels with lava, and blasted a hole in the ground. All of this took place between 1,500 and 4,500 years ago.
         Mt. Jefferson, the second highest peak in Oregon, has been around longer than any of the other Central Oregon Cascade peaks. For 600,000 years it has rebuffed the attacks of at least four ice ages. Today, much smaller glaciers than those of the ice ages continue to grind away at its flanks.

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