Aerial View, Crater Lake, Oregon

Steven Dutch, Professor Emeritus, Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

---

Crater Lake, Oregon is the stump of a former volcano, Mount Mazama, that once stood about 12,000 feet high. About 7700 years ago, a huge eruption blew out so much ash from the magma chamber beneath the volcano that the mountain could no longer support its own weight and collapsed. The resulting hole filled with water to a depth of almost 2,000 feet, making Crater Lake the deepest lake in the United States and the seventh deepest in the world. After the great eruption, small eruptions built several volcanic cones. Most never reached the surface, but one, Wizard Island, is visible on the far side of the lake. The lake gets its water from rain and snow, and the water escapes by evaporation and seepage underground. There are no streams flowing into or out of the lake.

Location: 42^o 56' 30" N 122^o 06' 30" W.

---

Original Scene

(USGS image)

Possible Coloring

---

Return to Geology Coloring Book Index
Return to Professor Dutch's Home Page

Created 25 November 2005, Last Update 15 January 2020