Diamond Peak (Oregon)

Diamond Peak
Diamond Peak Volcano, with the smaller Mount Yoran to the right
Elevation	8,744 ft (2,665 m) [1]
Prominence	3,104 ft (946 m) [2]
Location
Location	Klamath / Lane counties, Oregon, USA
Range	Cascades
Coordinates	43°31′14.5″N 122°08′58.5″W / 43.520694°N 122.149583°W / 43.520694; -122.149583Coordinates: 43°31′14.5″N 122°08′58.5″W / 43.520694°N 122.149583°W / 43.520694; -122.149583[1]
Topo map	USGS Diamond Peak
Geology
Type	shield volcano
Age of rock	less than 100,000 years [3]
Volcanic arc/belt	Cascade Volcanic Arc
Last eruption	more than ~11,000 years ago[4]
Climbing
First ascent	1852 John Diamond & William Macy[5]
Easiest route	hike[6]

Diamond Peak is a shield volcano in south west Oregon and is part of the Cascade Range. The mountain is located near Willamette Pass in the Diamond Peak Wilderness within the Willamette National Forest.

Composed of 15 cubic kilometres (3.6 cu mi)^[4] of basaltic andesite, the volcano is older than the last ice age but probably younger than 100,000 years. It first began erupting from its northern summit and then from a new vent a little to the south, which is now the main peak. The mountain has several cirques from glacial erosion. It lies directly on the Cascade Crest and therefore receives a heavy snow pack. Snow fields on the northern side may have been glaciers as recently as 100 years ago.^[7]

History

Diamond Peak was first climbed by William Macy and John Diamond in July, 1852. These two men were part of a preliminary survey party known as the "Road Viewers." They climbed the peak in order to plan a road that later became known as the Free Emigrant Road. They named the peak for John Diamond, a pioneer from Eugene. The road was completed in late September, 1853, only days before some 1,027 people with 250 wagons arrived at the Deschutes River at what is now Bend, Oregon. These emigrants, known as the "Lost Wagon Train of 1853," were following Elijah Elliott through the central Oregon desert on what became known as the Elliott Cutoff. It took time to locate the road because it was 30 miles upstream on the Deschutes. The road led them to Emigrant Pass by Summit Lake and then down the western side of the pass. In mid-October the emigrants were discovered on the Middle Fork Willamette River by the settlers of the upper Willamette Valley and a large rescue operation was launched to help the emigrants reach the settlements. This emigration doubled the population of Lane County.^[8]

See also

• List of Oregon Wildernesses
• Diamond Peak Wilderness
• Willamette National Forest
• Deschutes National Forest

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Diamond". NGS data sheet. U.S. National Geodetic Survey. http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/ds_mark.prl?PidBox=PC0781. Retrieved 2008-04-01. 
2. ^ "Diamond Peak, Oregon". Peakbagger.com. http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=2430. Retrieved 2008-04-01. 
3. ^ "Diamond Peak Volcano". Deschutes & Ochoco National Forests. USDA Forest Service. 2003-11-26. http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/geology/info/volcanoes/diamondpeak.shtml. Retrieved 2007-05-21. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Wood, Charles A.; Jürgen Kienle (1993). Volcanoes of North America. Cambridge University Press. pp. 189. ISBN 0-512-43811-X. http://books.google.com/?id=eyDRib-FJh4C&pg=PA189&lpg=PA189&dq=Diamond+Peak+volcano. 
5. ^ "Diamond Peak". Skiing the Cascade Volcanoes. http://www.skimountaineer.com/CascadeSki/CascadeSki.php?name=Diamond. Retrieved 2008-04-01. 
6. ^ Wuerthner, George (2003-02). Oregon's Wilderness Areas: The Complete Guide. Westcliffe Publishers. pp. 96–97. ISBN 978-1565794344. http://books.google.com/?id=lb058FGWo2QC&pg=PA96&lpg=PA96&dq=Diamond+Peak+volcano#PPA97,M1. 
7. ^ "Cascades Volcano Observatory: Diamond Peak". USDA Forest Service. http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/DiamondPeak/description_diamond_peak.html. Retrieved 2008-04-01. 
8. ^ Sullivan, William L. (2002). Thurman, Paula (Ed.). ed. Exploring Oregon's Wild Areas (3rd ed.). The Mountaineers Books. 

External links

• "Diamond Peak". USGS topographic map. Internet Archives. http://www.archive.org/details.php?identifier=usgs_drg_or_43122_e2. Retrieved 2008-04-01. 
• "Diamond Peak Wilderness". GORP. http://www.gorp.com/parks-guide/travel-ta-deschutes-willamette-national-forest-oregon-sidwcmdev_069268.html. Retrieved 2008-04-01. 
• "Diamond Peak". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:1141004. Retrieved 2008-11-22.