Newberry Caldera from Paulina Peak, with Big Obsidian Flow
-
Newberry Volcano and Caldera
-- Geographic Setting, and Geologic and Eruptive History
Newberry volcano is a broad shield volcano located in central Oregon.
It has been built by thousands of eruptions,
beginning about 600,000 years ago.
At least 25 vents on the flanks and summit have been active during several eruptive
episodes of the past 10,000 years.
The most recent eruption 1,300 years ago produced the Big Obsidian Flow.
Thus, the
volcano's long history and recent activity indicate that Newberry will erupt in the future.
-- Excerpt from:
D. R. Sherrod, L. G. Mastin, W. E. Scott, and S. P. Schilling, 1997,
Volcano Hazards at Newberry Volcano, Oregon:
USGS Open-File Report 97-513
-
"America's Volcanic Past" - Newberry National Volcanic Monument
-- Select Volcanic Highlights and Features
-
Big Obsidian Flow
The youngest period of volcanism within the caldera was associated with
the vent for the Big Obsidian flow. It began
with eruptions that produced a widespread pumice fall that
covers the southern part of the caldera and the eastern flank of
the volcano
(Sherrod and MacLeod, 1979).
Carbon-14 ages of 1,720+/-200 (Higgins, 1969) and 1,550+/-120 (S. W. Robinson,
written commun., 1978) years were obtained on carbon directly beneath the fall.
...
The final event was the eruption of the Big Obsidian flow
and the domal protrusion that marks its vent. Slight
collapse occurred over a one-half-mile-wide area around the vent
before the flow was erupted. The flow extends northward from
near the outer caldera wall to near the paved road in the caldera
and, in its northern part, partly filled an older pumice
ring.
-- Excerpt from:
MacLeod, et.al., 1981,
Newberry Volcano, Oregon:
IN: Guides to Some Volcanic Terranes in Washington, Idaho, Oregon,
and Northern California:
USGS Circular 838
-
Newberry Caldera
Williams (1935, 1957) first recognized that the 4- to 5-mile-wide depression
at the summit of the volcano is a caldera.
-- Excerpt from:
MacLeod, et.al., 1981,
Newberry Volcano, Oregon:
IN: Guides to Some Volcanic Terranes in Washington, Idaho, Oregon,
and Northern California:
USGS Circular 838
-
Paulina Peak
Newberry Volcano,
centered about 20 miles southeast of Bend, Oregon, is
among the largest Quaternary volcanoes in thee conterminous United States. It
covers and area in excess of 500 square miles, and lavas from it extend
northward many tens of miles beyond the volcano. The highest point on the
volcano, Paulina Peak with an elevation of 7,984 feet,
is about 4,000 feet higher than the terrain surrounding the volcano.
-
Nearby Attraction - Lava Butte Cinder Cone
|
Newberry National Volcanic Monument
|
|
The Newberry National Volcanic Monument, located about
ten miles south of Bend in Central Oregon,
is one of the nation's newest national monuments.
Established by Congress in 1990, the monument will
be managed to preserve for present and future
generations the unique geologic landforms and many
other resources in the 55,500 acre area. An additional
10,300 acres is included in special management areas.
Newberry National Volcanic Monument
is a recreational playground
for thousands of visitors each year.
Newberry Crater holds two alpine lakes, East and Paulina,
which are home to trophy-size brown and rainbow trout,
as well as kokanee and Atlantic salmon. Seven campgrounds
in the Crater, offer shoreline camping, boat ramps,
sanitary facilities, group camping, and a horse camp with
equestrian trails. In the winter, the Crater is a popular
destination for both snowmobilers and cross-country skiers.
Miles of trails run through the Monument, offering
visitors year round opportunities for hiking and exploring.
Hiking trails, include the popular Peter Skene Ogden
National Recreation Trail and other trails lead to major
lava flows and around portions of the crater rim. The
northwest border of the Monument is the Wild and
Scenic Deschutes River, where river rafters and kayakers bounce
through white-water rapids formed by narrow channels
carved through the lava. A wildlife refuge already exists
within the caldera rim, and it will continue to be managed by the Oregon Department
of Fish and Wildlife. The remainder of the monument
is managed for hunting under state laws.
The Deschutes National Forest
staffs several public information centers
for the monument on a seasonal basis. Visitors learn the volcanic
history of the area at
Lava Lands Visitor Center.
On top of
Lava Butte,
a working forest fire lookout is partially open
to the public with exhibits on the first floor.
The Newberry Crater Information Center offers general information to
people entering the crater.
Excerpts courtesy of:
U. S. National Park Service - Newberry National Volcanic Monument Website,
1999
|
For More National Monument Information
|
Link to:
Newberry National Volcanic Monument Website
Supervisor's Office Deschutes National Forest
1645 Highway 20 E.
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 388-2715
(541) 383-5531
Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District
1230 NE 3rd St.
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 388-5664
(541) 383-4700
Lava Lands Visitor Center
58201 South Hwy. 97
Bend, OR 97707
(541) 593-2421
|
|
Access to the volcano is generally excellent, with the most direct route being along
Highway 97 going south from Bend. A system of roads for harvesting timber and for recreation
covers all but the highest flanks. A road through the caldera and one to the top of Paulina
Peak offer access to the top of the volcano. Nearly all the land of Newberry volcano is
managed by the Deschutes National Forest.
-- Excerpt from: Wood and Kienle, 1990,
Volcanoes of North America: United States and Canada:
Cambridge University Press, 354p., p.200-202, Contribution by Lawrence A. Chitwood
|
-
[Map,20K,InlineGIF]
Major West Coast Volcanoes - Washington, Oregon, and California
-- Graphic by: Lyn Topinka, 1998
-
[Map,23K,InlineGIF]
Newberry Volcano and Vicinity
-- Modified from: Sherrod, et.al., 1997
The top of
Paulina Peak offers a grand overview of
Newberry Crater, the south and west flanks of Newberry Volcano,
the Cascades, and much of central Oregon.
From its junction with Road 21 within Newberry Crater,
the Paulina Peak road is a little over 4 miles long.
Passenger cars and vans can be driven on this steep and dusty road.
However, it is quite rough and precipitous in some places.
USGS Monitoring Newberry Volcano from Paulina Peak
|
Climb (?) Newberry Volcano
|
Newberry Volcano, centered about 20 miles southeast of Bend, Oregon,
is among the largest Quaternary volcanoes in thee conterminous United States.
It covers and area in excess of 500 square miles, and lavas from it extend
northward many tens of miles beyond the volcano.
The highest point on the
volcano, Paulina Peak with an elevation of 7,984 feet,
is about 4,000 feet higher than the terrain surrounding the volcano.
The top of
Paulina Peak offers a grand overview of
Newberry Crater,
the south and west flanks of
Newberry Volcano,
the Cascades, and much of
central Oregon.
From its junction with Road 21 within Newberry Crater,
the Paulina Peak road is 4.1 miles long.
Passenger cars and vans can be driven on this steep and dusty road.
However, it is quite rough and precipitous in some places.
On a clear day, you can see into
Washington and
California,
and view almost the entire
High Cascade Range in Oregon.
Things to notice:
- Three Sisters and
Cascade Range
- South and west flank of
Newberry Volcano
- Large number of cinder cones
(bumps) on flank of Newberry Volcano
- Oregon's High Desert to southeast
- Rim of Newberry Crater
- Main road (Road 21) through Newberry Crater
- Paulina Lake
- East Lake
- Big Obsidian Flow
- Central Pumice Cone
|
-
Deschutes National Forest
-- Link courtesy U. S. Forest Service
-
MORE Useful Sites
-- CVO Menu, includes links to Volcano Info, Seismicity, Hydrology, etc.
-
Travel and Tourism Links
-- CVO Menu, includes links to Nearby Cities, Attractions, Recreation, etc.
-
Weather and Road Conditions
-- CVO Menu, includes links to Weather Forecasts, DOT's, Pass Reports,
etc.
-
Newberry Caldera Menu
|
