Davis Lake Volcanic Field
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Three small, youthful lava flows, each with an associated scoria cone, lie about 15 km (9 mi) east of the Cascade Range crest in central Oregon.
Quick Facts
Location: Oregon, Deschutes County
Latitude: 43.641° N
Longitude: 121.818° W
Elevation: 1,494 (m) 4,902 (f)
Volcano type: Lava flows
Composition: Andesite
Most recent eruption: 5,300-5,600 years ago
Nearby towns: Gilchrist, La Pine
Threat Potential: Low/Very Low *
Summary
The northernmost of the three forms the natural dam to Davis Lake, the namesake for this volcanic field. The lava flows, are thick (30-60 m or 90-200 ft), blocky andesite. The vents form a 20-km-long (12 mi) north-trending alignment. The Davis Lake lava flows are similar in appearance and chemistry, which indicates that they are probably the surface expression of a single fissure at depth and were probably erupted at, or very near, the same time.
The Davis Lake lava flows are younger than Mount Mazama (Crater Lake) ash and therefore younger than about 7,700 years. A more precise age comes from charcoal collected beneath the cinder fallout near the vent for the middle lava flow, which indicates the flows are approximately 5,050-5,600 years old (calibrated to calendar years).