Link to the Global Volcanism Program Home Page Volcano Photo National Museum of Natural History Home Page

Jefferson   »  Summary

Jefferson

Jefferson Photo

Country:United States
Subregion Name:Oregon (USA)
Volcano Number:1202-02-
Volcano Type: Stratovolcano
Volcano Status:Varve Count
Last Known Eruption: 950 AD (?) 
Summit Elevation: 3199 m 10,495 feet
Latitude: 44.674°N 44°40'27"N
Longitude: 121.800°W 121°47'59"W

Mount Jefferson, Oregon's second highest peak, is a deeply eroded stratovolcano that has been inactive since the late Pleistocene. The glacier-clad landmark prominent from both sides of the Cascade Range was named by Lewis and Clark for the president that sponsored their expedition. Jefferson was constructed in two episodes interrupted by extensive glacial erosion. The first of these, beginning about 290,000 years ago, produced an andesitic-to-dacitic volcano possibly higher than the current summit. Dacitic lava domes were emplaced during the 2nd cycle beginning about 70,000 years ago that produced ash flows that traveled 15 km to the east and west. Several Holocene cinder cones near the Cascade crest south of Jefferson have produced lava flows that traveled down glacially carved valleys, including those from Forked Butte and North Cinder Peak. The most recent eruption, from a cinder cone on the flank of the South Cinder Peak cone, produced a lava flow that traveled west into Marion Lake about 1000 years ago.

Global Volcanism ProgramDepartment of Mineral SciencesNational Museum of Natural HistorySmithsonian Institution

Copyright  |   | Privacy  |