The Klamath mountains area of Oregon is the south western most corner of our state. The Klamaths are made up of a group of large metamorphic and igneous rocks that formed out in the ocean and then accreted with the North American plate about 150 mya (million years ago). The area is made up of intrusive igneous deposits like diorite and granodiorite. These layers happened on top of marine and continental layers.
The Klamaths are home to a large number of valuable mineral deposits. Examples include Gold and silver, as well as zinc, lead and chromium. A lot of gold was chased after during the 18th and 19th century, which hydraulic mining being used to great success. One major geologic feature of this area is the Oregon Caves National Monument as pictured here. It is made up entirely of marble, and has a handful of cool geologic features like large stalagtites and pillars that took thousands of years to form.
No comments:
Post a Comment