Ochoco Mountains
| Ochoco Mountains | |
|---|---|
Steins Pillar in ponderosa pine forest
|
|
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Lookout Mountain |
| Elevation | 6,926 ft (2,111 m) |
| Coordinates | 44°19′37″N 120°22′24″W / 44.32694°N 120.37333°W |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 114 mi (183 km) north–south |
| Width | 86 mi (138 km) |
| Geography | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oregon |
| Counties | Crook, Wheeler, Grant |
| Range coordinates | 44°26′35″N 120°23′37″W / 44.44306°N 120.39361°WCoordinates: 44°26′35″N 120°23′37″W / 44.44306°N 120.39361°W |
| Parent range | Blue Mountains province |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | Permian, Triassic, Jurassic and Eocene |
| Type of rock | Accreted and erupted igneous rock |
The Ochoco Mountains are a mountain range in central Oregon in the United States, located at the western end of the Blue Mountains. They were formed when Permian, Triassic, and Jurassic rocks were slowly uplifted by volcanic eruptions to form the Clarno Formation. Today, the highest point in the range is Lookout Mountain. The dominant vegetation on the west side of the range is old-growth ponderosa pine; on the east side, western juniper is common. The western area of the mountains is administered by the Ochoco National Forest, while the southeastern section is part of the Malheur National Forest. The Ochoco Mountains are used for hiking, camping, bird watching, rockhounding, and hunting, as well as cross-country skiing in the winter.
The Ochoco Mountains run 114 miles (183 km) north to south and 86 miles (138 km) east to west. The eight highest peaks in the range are:
The Ochoco Mountains in central Oregon form the western end of the Blue Mountains province. The Blue Mountains are not a single cohesive range, but rather a complex of ranges and inter-mountain basins and valleys that extend from southeast Washington into central Oregon, ending near Prineville. The Ochoco portion of the province is part of a wide uplifted plateau made of rocks from the Permian, Triassic, and Jurassic periods (300 to 200 million years old) that were transported by the Pacific Plate and accreted in the late Mesozoic era (about 100 million years ago) as part of a vast shallow sea, then slowly uplifted by volcanic eruptions during the Eocene epoch (50 to 37 million years ago) to form the Clarno Formation. From 37 to 17 million years ago, eruptions in the western Cascade Range spread ash across eastern Oregon, forming the John Day Formation. From 17 to 14 million years ago, major volcanic eruptions covered much of the province with basalt flows, creating the Columbia River Basalt Group. Since then, continued faulting and uplift has resulted in a deeply eroded landscape. Steins Pillar is an excellent example of this erosion.
...
Wikipedia