Black Crater

Black Crater
Black Crater
	The mountain seen from the Dee Wright Observatory
Highest point
Elevation	7,257 ft (2,212 m) NAVD 88
Coordinates	44°15′58″N 121°44′55″W / 44.265998142°N 121.748565361°W
Geography
	Black Crater Location of Black Crater in the state of Oregon Black Crater Black Crater (the United States)
Location	Deschutes County, Oregon, U.S.
Parent range	Cascade Range
Topo map	USGS Black Crater
Geology
Age of rock	Late Pleistocene
Mountain type	Shield volcano
Volcanic arc	Cascade Volcanic Arc
Climbing
Easiest route	Trail hike

Black Crater is a shield volcano in the Western Cascades in Deschutes County, Oregon. Located near McKenzie Pass, the volcano has a broad conical shape with gentle slopes. The volcano likely formed during the Pleistocene and has not been active within the last 50,000 years. Eruptive activity at the volcano produced mafic lava flows made of basaltic andesite and olivine basalt; it also formed a number of cinder cones. A normal fault occurs on the western side of the volcano, trending north–south. The volcano has been eroded by glaciers, which carved a large cirque into the northeastern flank of the mountain, forming its current crater.

The area was settled c. 1862, when pioneers moved to the forested region south of Black Crater, near what is now the city of Sisters. The volcano is part of the Three Sisters Wilderness, which offers recreational activities. The Black Crater Trail runs one way for 3.8 miles (6.1 km) from a trailhead on Oregon Route 242, and the southeastern part of the trail can be skied. Some Arctic–alpine plants can be found on the volcano, including mountain hemlock, ponderosa pine, bitterbrush, and Pacific silver fir.

^ ^a ^b "Black Crater". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. January 3, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
^ "Dee Wright Observatory". United States Geological Survey Cascades Volcano Observatory. Archived from the original on January 9, 2009. Retrieved January 2, 2023.

[ngs-1] "Black Crater". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. January 3, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2023.

[deewright-2] "Dee Wright Observatory". United States Geological Survey Cascades Volcano Observatory. Archived from the original on January 9, 2009. Retrieved January 2, 2023.

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