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Mazama Ecological Province

T he area covered by a continuous mantel of aeolian deposits of pumice and other volcanic materials spewed over the countryside when Mt. Mazama erupted explosively about 6,500 years ago.  Other volcanic activity and eruptions as well as glacial actions, have created areas consisting of basaltic, andesitic, rhyolitic, and tuffaceous deposits and cinders and glacial till.  Elevations range from 2,700 feet at the northwest boundary to 8,390 feet on Gearhart Mountain.  Most of the province lies between 4,000 and 5,000 feet elevation.

Mt. Thielsen as viewed from Diamond Lake, one of the many natural lakes that receive heavy recreational use.

A mantle of aeolian pumice overlying ancient landforms and buried soils.

The ponderosa pine-mixed shrub-bunchgrass zone on pumice loams soils.

Information and photos from: Anderson, E.W., Borman, M.M., and Krueger, W.C. 1998. The ecological provinces of Oregon: A treatise on the basic ecological geography of the state. Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station. SR 990. Corvallis, Oregon, USA.