Diamond
Craters Lava Field is called “one of the most dramatic of Oregon’s volcanic
attractions, displaying a varied landscape produced by late Miocene to
Pleistocene eruptions.” (about 9 million years ago this began and continued
to about 2 mya.) Named for the diamond shaped cattle brand owned by an early
settler. Within 22 sq miles there are over 100 cinder cones and craters.
About 9 mya vents in the area opened and spewed out enough ash and lava to
cover 7000 sq miles up to 130 ft thick. About 2500 years ago there were a
number of eplosions and intrusions forming cinder cones and vast new lava
flows. This bowed the ground surface forming domes.
