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Summary of the Eruptive History
of Mount Mazama


-- Excerpt from: Bacon, Charles R., 1983,
Eruptive History of Mount Mazama and Crater Lake Caldera, Cascade Range, U.S.A.: Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, v.18, p.57-115

Age or interval1 (in years) Age control2 Composition Unit or event
<6845 paleomagnetic pole position;
superposition
andesite,
rhyodacite
Postcaldera volcanism: Merriam Cone, Wizard Island, and rhyodacite platform
6845 +/- 45 radiocarbon age; paleomagnetic pole position mafic andesite, andesite, rhyodacite Climactic eruptions: (1)Plinian eruption of air-fall tephra; (2) Wineglass Welded Tuff; (3) collapse of caldera concurrent with emplacement of ash-flow deposits and backflow of Cleetwood lava into caldera; (4) phreatic (?) ejection of intracaldera debris
7015 +/- 45 radiocarbon age; paleomagnetic pole position rhyodacite Eruption of lower pumice fall from Llao Rock eruptive center
6845 - 7200 (?) radiocarbon age; paleomagnetic pole position; superposition rhyodacite Emplacement of four lava flows and associated tephra: Redcloud (oldest), Llao Rock and Grouse Hill (relative age between those two not well established), Cleetwood (youngest).
>12,000 (?) glaciated; paleomagnetic pole position; superposition basalt, mafic andesite Vents outside Mazama shadow zone. Ages vary and are poorly constrained; one may be Holocene.
22,000-26,000 radiocarbon age; lies on glaciated surface; glaciated dacite Palisade flow erupted from vent south of Palisade Point.
22,000-30,000 lies on glaciated surface; glaciated; paleomagnetic pole position; superposition basalt, mafic andesite, andesite, dacite Forgotten Crater complex; eruption of basalt and mixed intermediate lavas from west-northwest-trending radial fractures.
22,000-30,000 glaciated; superposition dacite(?) Emplacement of dome east of Llao Rock.
22,000-30,000 (?) glaciated dacite(?) Sharp Peak domes; erupted on northeast-trending radial fractures.
22,000-50,000 lies on glaciated surface; glaciated; paleomagnetic pole position; superposition dacite Debris-flow and lithic-pyroclastic flow deposits in Munson Valley, Sun Valley, and on west caldera rim; probably represent dome emplacement high on southwest flank.
30,000-50,000 lies on glaciated surface; glaciated; preliminary K-Ar whole-rock age; superposition andesite, dacite Middle Wisconsin lava flows; present on southwest, north, and northeast wall.
50,000-60,000 lies on glaciated surface; superposition dacite Tephra and local lava flows of "Pumice Castle" and ash-flow deposits on southwest wall.
50,000-60,000 glaciated; lies on glaciated surface; superposition dacite Lavas of Scott Bluffs; may belong to early part of "Pumice Castle" eruptive episode.
50,000-75,000 lies on glaciated surface; glaciated; superposition andesite, dacite Early Wisconsin lava flows; some probably emplaced near boundary between oxygen isotope stages 3 and 4.
>50,000 superposition mafic andesite Lava sheets of Cloudcap Bay
60,000-75,000 lies on glaciated surface; superposition -- Early Wisconsin glacial deposits.
67,000-73,000 (?) glaciated; preliminary K-Ar whole-rock age; superposition andesite Lavas and tephra of Hillman Peak.
75,000-110,000 glaciated; superposition -- Hydrothermal alteration of most pre-Wisconsin units exposed on caldera walls; may have been multiple episodes, some of which could be older than 110,000 years B.P.
110,000-115,000 lies on glaciated surface; preliminary K-Ar whole-rock age; superposition andesite, dacite Lava flows and domes and lithic-pyroclastic-flow deposits of Merriam Point.
110,000-185,000 glaciated; preliminary K-Ar whole-rock age mafic andesite, andesite Lava sheets of Llao Bay.
75,000-340,000 lies on glaciated surface; glaciated; superposition andesite, dacite(?) Lava flows of Sentinel Rock; extensive glacial erosion of under-lying lavas suggest flows are younger than approximately 250,000 years (Shackleton and Opdyke, 1973).
190,000-340,000 glaciated; preliminary K-Ar whole-rock age; superposition andesite, dacite Lavas of Dutton Cliff.
340,000 glaciated; preliminary K-Ar whole-rock age; superposition andesite, dacite Lavas of Danger Bay.
400,000 preliminary K-Ar whole-rock age; superposition andesite(?) Phantom Cone lavas and pyroclastic rocks.
>340,000 glaciated; superposition rhyodacite Southern rhyodacitic lava flows; may or may not be related to Mazama magmatic system.
>75,000 glaciated All(?) -- basalt, mafic andesite, andesite, dacite, rhyodacite Mount Scott and other volcanic rocks east of caldera; may or may not be related to Mazama magmatic system; mafic cones may be younger than 75,000 years.
1Interval refers to bracketing dated units or events and does not indicate the duration of an event. Ages based on preliminary K-Ar dates are rounded.
2Radiocarbon ages are of associated soil or carbonized wood; preliminary K-Ar whole-rock ages are from M.A. Lanphere (written commun., 1981, 1982); paleomagnetic pole position dates from D.E. Champion (written commun., 1981, 1982).
Table format modified by: Lyn Topinka, USGS/CVO, 1998, From: Bacon, Charles R., 1983, Eruptive History of Mount Mazama and Crater Lake Caldera, Cascade Range, U.S.A.: Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, v.18, p.57-115


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06/26/01, Lyn Topinka