| Mount Washington | |
|---|---|
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Mount_Washington,_OR,_USFS.jpg) Mount Washington as seen from Big Lake on the northwest | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 7,795 ft (2,376 m)[1][2] |
| Coordinates | 44°19′56″N 121°50′19″W / 44.3321254°N 121.8385292°W[3] |
| Geography | |
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Usa_edcp_relief_location_map.png)  Mount Washington | |
| Parent range | Cascade Range |
| Topo map | USGS Mount Washington |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | Pleistocene |
| Mountain type | Shield volcano, [1] stratovolcano, [4] volcanic plug |
| Volcanic arc | Cascade Volcanic Arc |
| Last eruption | >250,000 years ago (estimated)[5][6] |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 1923 by E. McNeal and party[7] |
Mount Washington is a deeply eroded volcano in the Cascade Range of Oregon. It lies within Deschutes and Linn counties and is surrounded by the Mount Washington Wilderness area.
Like the rest of the Oregon Cascades, Mount Washington was produced by the subduction of the oceanic Juan de Fuca tectonic plate under the continental North American tectonic plate, forming during the late Pleistocene. Made mostly of mafic (rich in magnesium and iron) volcanic rock like subalkaline basalt and basaltic andesite, it has a volcanic plug occupying its summit cone and numerous dikes. It is surrounded by other volcanic features such as cinder cones and spatter cones. The volcano's last eruptions took place from spatter cones about 1,350 years ago, generating basaltic andesite lava deposits.
Mount Washington has barren surroundings, which have seen little historical recreational use. A wagon road at McKenzie Pass was built in 1872, which was later paved during the 1930s. On August 26, 1923, the mountain was first ascended by six boys from the neighboring city of Bend. The surrounding area was designated the Mount Washington Wilderness by the federal government in 1964. The wilderness area is not heavily used, though it has a number of hiking trails. Wildlife is sparse in the region. Vegetation is mostly limited to pines and shrubs. Animal life includes deer, American black bear, cougar, various small animal species, and some fish species in the lakes.
- ^ a b Wood & Kienle 1990, p. 181.
- ^ Hildreth 2007, p. 7.
- ^ "Mount Washington". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
- ^ Hildreth 2007, p. 44.
- ^ Harris 2005, p. 163.
- ^ James, Manga & Rose 1999, p. 823.
- ^ Wuerthner 2003, p. 137.