Oregon offers many fascinating geological features to explore.
Oregon is home to a variety of interesting landforms, including lowlands, plateaus, valleys and mountain ranges. Many of Oregon's landforms were created through volcanic activity. Among its many impressive geographical features, Oregon can boast America's deepest gorge, the deepest lake in America and some of the nation's highest mountain peaks.
Willamette Lowlands
The Willamette Lowlands is a narrow strip of land that runs along the Willamette River. From the Portland area, the Willamette Lowlands stretches south for around 175 miles. The rich soil and mild climate of this area make it highly fertile.
Cascade Mountains
The Cascade Mountains, which have volcanic origins, stand to the east of the lowlands. Oregon's highest point, Mount Hood, which sits within the Cascade Mountains, rises to 11,239 feet above sea level. Many of the nation's highest peaks also are within the Cascade Mountains. These include Mount Jefferson at 10,497 feet above sea level, the Three Sisters at more than 10,000 feet above sea level and Mount McLoughlin at 9,495 feet. Many lakes also lie within these forested mountains, including Crater Lake, which is the deepest lake in America at 1,932 feet deep.
Klamath Mountains
The Klamath Mountains is a densely forested area in southwest Oregon. The Klamath Mountains contain relatively low peaks compared to ranges such as the Cascade Mountains. The range also is home to many small lakes. The Klamath Mountains, which was formed around 150 million years ago, also contains the Oregon Caves National Monument, lying within a gigantic fault-bonded block of marble.
Coast Range
Running from north to south along the state's Pacific Coast, the Coast Range Mountains is another low mountain range, covered with dense forest. Although Mary's Peak rises 4,097 feet above sea level, the average height of the Coast Range is less than 2,000 feet above sea level. The cliffs that run along this part of Oregon's coastline are almost 1,000 feet high. Many small lakes are hidden within the Coast Range, along with the Triangle Lake Valley, which was once an ancient lake itself.
Columbia Plateau
Thousands of years ago, lava flowed through cracks in the Earth's crust to form the Columbia Plateau. This area extends south from Washington to cover a large area of eastern Oregon. The rugged landscape of the Columbia Plateau area features wide, deep valleys and mountains such as the Blue Mountains and the Wallowa Mountains. Hell's Canyon is in the Columbia Plateau area that lies on the border of Oregon and Idaho. With a maximum depth of 7,900 feet, this is the deepest gorge in America.
Basin and Range Region
Oregon's Basin and Range Region features high basins and steep mountains, including fault-block mountains such as the Steens Mountains. Volcanic and hot-spring activity in this area has created fine-grained gold deposits and jasperoids, which are dark purple stones. A large part of this region is semi-desert.
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