103_0364

Hello: From Google Earth, it appears as if this photo is the focal point of a meteor impact. I have mentioned this to geologists but have never gotten a response.

Have a nice day.

Kagira

More info on the Eagle Cap Wilderness can be found at ( http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/w-w/recreation/wilderness/ecwild.shtml ).

In the summer, the Monarch Butterflies pour over this peak by the thousands.

I believe these mountains were formed by entirely terrestrial geological forces.

Ironically, I clicked on this link because I too thought the same as kagira. On reflection I may be wrong... I now think it is an massive ANCIENT supervolcano. This peak is the remains at the centre. To see what I mean, turn on "volcanoes" under "Geographical Features" in Google Earth and zoom out until you can see at least Yellowstone on the right hand side. Still, I am no Geologist!

;-)

Karl

Actually, in is a part of an ancient island arc that drifted into the north american continent. The original western end of the continent is just a few miles east of the Wallowas and the Snake river. In places about here one can find sea shell fossils.

This photo taken from atop Eagle Cap looking north down the East Lostine glacial valley. The volcanism spoken of occured in two episodes. The first was subduction zone magmas stoping up through the Earth's crust. The resulting volcanoes were the island arc off North America. The granite we see today is the batholith frozen in time as it came up through the crust. Through time the land uplifted and was glaciated. The second volcanic episode was 10 to 15 million years ago when mantle magmas rose up through large cracks in the local rock. These basaltic magmas became the Columbia river basalt flows. Some of the brownish colored cracks can be seen on the ridge just left of the valley. Basalt flows from them cap the mountains in the distance. More fault blocking uplift and glaciation gave the mountains their current appearance.