Belknap Volcano
Volcano Type: Shield volcanoes
Volcano Status: Radiocarbon
Last Known Eruption: 480 AD (?)
Summit Elevation: 2095 m 6,873 feet
Latitude: 44.285°N 44°17’7″N
Longitude: 121.841°W 121°50’28″W
The Belknap Crater area near McKenzie Pass, north of the Three Sisters volcanoes in the central Oregon Cascades, was the source of one of the largest concentrations of youthful volcanism in the Cascade Range. The basaltic to basaltic-andesite Belknap shield volcano, topped by the Belknap Crater pyroclastic cone and the Little Belknap shield volcano immediately to the east, have produced widespread late-Holocene lava flows on all sides that form an impressive panorama of youthful volcanism in the McKenzie Pass area, much of which took place between about 3000 and 1500 years ago. Late-stage eruptions from the NE base of Belknap crater produced lava flows that traveled 15 km west into the McKenzie River valley. The narrow McKenzie Pass highway provides seasonal access across the barren lava fields with spectacular views toward Mt. Jefferson and the Three Sisters.
Belknap Volcano
A 98 square kilometer shield volcano, elevation approximately 6400 feet, Belknap can be reached in the summer months by a sketchy path up its eastern slope after a strenuous hike across the McKenzie Lava Beds on the PCT from the north side of the McKenzie Pass Highway. Belknap has one of the most striking volcanic craters in Central Oregon, colored with dark red and black ash and makes for a worthwhile summer hike. Also, Belknap last erupted around 1500 years ago, making it one of Central Oregon’s more recently active volcanoes.
Aerial view of Belknap Crater
The big scree pile known as Belknap Crater
Belknap Crater
Cinder Slope of Belknap Crater
Belknap Crater as seen from inside a lava tube
A closer view of the Belknap Crater
A closer view of the Belknap Crater
Little Belknap Crater from afar
Little Belknap Crater
People hiking Little Belknap Crater
Originally posted 2010-08-26 04:51:58.
