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Diamond Craters

Volcanic field · United States · 1435m

Lava flows of West Dome, one the structural highpoints of Diamond Craters, rise NE of lake-filled Malheur Maar. The shallow 2-m-deep lake occupies one of many maars (the rest of which are dry) of the Diamond Craters volcanic field at the time of this 2002 photo. Diamond Craters consists of a 70 km2 area of basaltic lava flows, scoria cones, and maars. The initial eruptions of pahoehoe lava flows and later activity involved magma injection that produced six structural highs of up to 150 m.
Lava flows of West Dome, one the structural highpoints of Diamond Craters, rise NE of lake-filled Malheur Maar. The shallow 2-m-deep lake occupies one of many maars (the rest of which are dry) of the Diamond Craters volcanic field at the time of this 2002 photo. Diamond Craters consists of a 70 km2 area of basaltic lava flows, scoria cones, and maars. The initial eruptions of pahoehoe lava flows and later activity involved magma injection that produced six structural highs of up to 150 m. · Photo: Photo by Lee Siebert, 2002 (Smithsonian Institution). · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Volcanic field
Country
United States
Region
North America Volcanic Regions / High Lava Plains Volcanic Province
Elevation
1435m
Coordinates
43.100, -118.750
Last eruption
-5610
Tectonic setting
Rift zone / Continental crust (> 25 km)
Landform
Cluster
Major rock type
Basalt / Picro-Basalt
Geological summary

Diamond Craters volcanic field consists of a 70 km2 area of basaltic lava flows along with numerous cinder cones and maars located between the SE Oregon town of Burns and Steens Mountain. A basaltic pahoehoe lava field is overlain by deposits from phreatomagmatic and Strombolian eruptions that formed a late-stage central vent complex of about 20 craters and cones that densely fill a 1.1 x 1.6 km caldera. The age is constrained to within 7,320-7,790 calibrated years Before Present by radiocarbon-dated floodplain deposits below the lava flows and paloemagnetic evidence (Sherrod et al., 2012). Doming has created a series of six overlapping topographic highs. The highest of these is known as Graben Dome; its summit is cut by a NW-SE graben 0.4 x 2.1 km long and 30 m deep. Lava flows on the E side of the field, scattered cinder cones, and maars formed during the last stage of activity.

From Wikipedia

The Diamond Craters is a monogenetic volcanic field about 40 miles (64 km) southeast of Burns, Oregon. The field consists of a 27-square-mile (70 km2) area of basaltic lava flows, cinder cones, and maars. The reexamination of radiocarbon dates from older studies and interpretation of paleomagnetic data and new radiocarbon dates limits the eruption of volcanic vents in this volcanic field to the time period between 7320 and 7790 calendar years B.P.

Wikipedia · CC BY-SA · Read full article →

Eruption history

Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions
5610 BCE~5610 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 45610 BCE5610 BCE5609 BCE5609 BCE5609 BCE

Detailed timeline

  1. 5610 BCE (±470 yrs)VEI 4Geological estimate
    BCE 5610 – Ongoing

External links

⚠ For reference only. Not for emergency response.