Steens Mountain
EtymologyEnoch Steen
Elevation9738 ft
Prominence4373 ft
Listing
LocationHarney County, Oregon, U.S.
Coordinates42.636418°N 118.576717°W
TopoUSGS Wildhorse Lake
Volcanic fieldColumbia River Basalt Group
Last eruptionBefore Pleistocene
Easiest routeShort hike from gravel road

Steens Mountain is a large fault-block mountain in the northwest United States, located in Harney County, Oregon.[1][2] Stretching some 50 miles (80 km) north to south, on its east side it rises from the Alvord Desert at an elevation of about 4,200 feet (1,280 m) to 9,738 feet (2,968 m) at the summit. Steens Mountain is not part of a mountain range but is properly a single mountain, the largest of Oregon's fault-block mountains.[3][4]

The Steens Mountain Wilderness encompasses 170,166 acres (265.9 sq mi; 688.6 km2) of Steens Mountain.[5] 98,859 acres (154.5 sq mi; 400.1 km2) of the Wilderness are protected from grazing and free of cattle.[6]

Geology

Steens Mountain is a horst primarily composed of flood basalt deposits.[7]

The east face of Steens Mountain is composed mainly of basalts stacked one upon another. Lava flows several hundreds of feet thick inundated the region between 17 and 14 million years ago.[8][9][10] Chemical data from magma deposits from the area reveal three distinct stages of volcanism.[11]

Layers of clay and volcanic dust show over forty lava flows on Steens Mountain. Most lava layers reach to 3,000 feet (910 m) thick or more in some areas. As the surface cracked, peaks and valleys were formed. Erosion and landfalls continue to modify the faces of the cliffs along the mountain.[4]: 97 The sediment bedding is roughly horizontal, evidence to the absence of compressional forces.[12] The white sediments consist primarily of stratified acidic tuffs. While rain hasn't been a main contributor to erosion, ice and snow melt are the main sources of erosion on Steens Mountain.[4]: 97

Ecology

Vegetation in the Steens Mountain Wilderness varies greatly according to elevation. Common plants include sagebrush, juniper, various species of bunchgrass, mountain mahogany, aspen, mountain meadow knotweed, and false hellebore. Other vegetation endemic to Steens Mountain includes Steens paintbrush (Castilleja pilosa var. steenensis), moss gentian (Gentiana fremontii), Steens Mountain penstemon (Penstemon davidsonii var. praeteritus), Steens Mountain thistle (Cirsium peckii), a dwarf blue lupine, and Cusick's buckwheat (Eriogonum cusickii).[13][14][15]

Steens Mountain is distinctive in its absence of trees of the pine family, Pinaceae, especially ponderosa pine and Douglas fir, at elevations in which they would normally be found – from 5,500-8,000 ft m above sea level. Although other mountains of the Great Basin also lack these trees, Steens Mountain is the largest mountain area without them. One possible cause of the absence of these trees is the isolation of Steens Mountain, although lack of seed dispersal by bird species such as Clark's nutcracker may also be a factor. It is also possible that prehistoric fires, including fires used by Native Americans, eradicated the Pinaceae populations.[16] Home to a wide variety of animals, the area is primarily known for birding, hunting, and fishing. Birds here include golden eagles, owls, and the protected sage grouse.[17] Other animals found in the area include rattlesnakes, scorpions, elk, bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, and cougars.[18] The area is home to wild horses. Drawing much controversy, the Bureau of Land Management engages in wild horse roundups every few years, employing helicopters to herd the horses.[19][20] Historically, Steens Mountain Wilderness was once home to grizzly bears; a skull was unearthed in nearby Malheur Lake.[21] In the 1970s, a wolverine was trapped and released on Steens Mountain.[22]

History

The mountain was called the "Snowy Mountains" by John Work, one of the fur traders who were the first Europeans in the area. It was renamed in 1860 for United States Army Major Enoch Steen, who fought and drove members of the Paiute tribe off the mountain.[23][24] American Indians used the Steens Mountain, particularly Big Indian Gorge.[4]: 100

On October 24, 2000, President Bill Clinton approved the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protective Act. The act was created by local landowners in cooperation with local and national government representatives in response to a proposed National Monument. This act created the Steens Mountain BLM Cooperative Management and Protection Area, a 425,000-acre (1,720-square kilometre) area. This law protects 1,200,000 acres (1,880 sq mi; 4,860 km2) from mining, and 100,000 acres (156 sq mi; 405 km2) from cattle grazing.[25]

Recreation

The west slope of Steens Mountain is traversed by a 52-mile (84-kilometre) loop road, which is suitable for passenger vehicles.[5] The road reaches an elevation of 9,700 feet (2,960 m), making it the highest road in Oregon. It is possible to drive nearly to the summit of the mountain and to other viewpoints such as Kiger Gorge.[26] Steens Mountain is also host to Steens Mountain High Altitude Running Camp.[27]

Other recreational activities enjoyed on and around Steens Mountain are camping, picknicking, bicycling, hiking, hunting, sightseeing, soaring, and exploring. There are numerous hot springs along the base of Steens Mountain, including Alvord Hot Springs.[28] Far from city lights, stargazing is also popular.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Steens Loop Tour Route". Travel Oregon. Archived November 20, 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
  2. ^ "The Steens Loop Tour Route". Scenic Byways, Oregon Department of Transportation. Archived September 19, 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
  3. ^ "Steens Mountain". oregonencyclopedia.org. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  4. ^ Conkling, C., Jackman, E. R., & Scharff, J. (1967). Steens Mountain in Oregon's high desert country. Caxton Press. Retrieved April 25, 2022
  5. ^ "Steens Mountain". Bureau of Land Management. 2017-04-10. Archived August 25, 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  6. ^ "Steens Mountain Wilderness". Wilderness.net. Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  7. ^ "Geologic Field Trip Guide to Steens Mountain Loop Road, Harney County, Oregon". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2026-01-25.
  8. ^ 355999. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  9. ^ "Andesitic and basaltic rocks on Steens Mountain". United States Geological Survey. Archived December 26, 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
  10. ^ Camp, Victor E.; Ross, Martin E.; Hanson, William E. (2003), "Genesis of flood basalts and Basin and Range volcanic rocks from Steens Mountain to the Malheur River Gorge, Oregon", Geological Society of America Bulletin. 115 (1): 105–128, Bibcode:2003GSAB..115..105C. doi:10.1130/0016-7606(2003)115<0105:GOFBAB>2.0.CO;2
  11. ^ Moore, N. E.; Grunder, A. L.; Bohrson, W. A.; Carlson, R. W.; Bindeman, I. N. (2020). "Changing Mantle Sources and the Effects of Crustal Passage on the Steens Basalt, SE Oregon: Chemical and Isotopic Constraints". Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems. 21 (8). doi:10.1029/2020GC008910. ISSN 1525-2027. S2CID 225354222
  12. ^ "The Geomorphology and Volcanic Sequence of Steens Mountain in Southeastern Oregon". University of Washington Publications in Geology. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  13. ^ Sullivan, William L. (2002). Exploring Oregon's Wild Areas. 3rd ed. Thurman, Paula (ed.). The Mountaineers Books. ISBN 978-0-89886-793-0.
  14. ^ St. John, Alan D. (2007). Oregon's Dry Side: Exploring East of the Cascade Crest. Timber Press. ISBN 978-0-88192-829-7.
  15. ^ Mansfield, Donald H. (2000). Flora of Steens Mountain. OSU Press. ISBN 978-0-87071-471-9.
  16. ^ Mansfield, Donald (1995). "The Unique Botany of Steens Mountain: The Rare and Endemic Plants". Archived March 4, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
  17. ^ "Steens Mountain". Portland Audubon Society. 2020. Archived October 17, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  18. ^ "2017 Oregon Cougar Management Plan". Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. 2017. Archived September 20, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  19. ^ Darling, Dylan J. (2015-07-11). "Steens Mountain wild horse round up still on, for now". Bend Bulletin. Archived 2021-11-06 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2021-11-06.
  20. ^ "Bureau of Land Management to begin South Steens Herd Management Area wild horse gather". Bureau of Land Management. 2020-09-16. Archived 2021-04-03 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2021-11-06.
  21. ^ Shaw, Ethan (2015). "Oregon as Grizzly Country". Archived November 8, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  22. ^ "Wildlife Viewing: Wolverine". Oregon Department of fish and Wildlife. Archived November 7, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  23. ^ McArthur, Lewis A. & Lewis L. McArthur (2003 [1928]). Oregon Geographic Names. 7th ed. Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.
  24. ^ Loy, Willam G.; Stuart Allan; Aileen R. Buckley; James E. Meacham (2001). Atlas of Oregon. University of Oregon Press. p. 25. ISBN 0-87114-101-9.
  25. ^ Karras, Christy (2001-08-16). "Politicians dedicate Steens Mountain preserve". Seattle Post Intelligencer. Archived November 6, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2008-04-02.
  26. ^ "Steens Mountain". Harney County Chamber of Commerce. Archived September 24, 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
  27. ^ "Steens Mountain High Altitude Running Camp". Archived May 2, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
  28. ^ Alt, David D & Hyndman, Donald W (1978). Roadside Geology of Oregon. Missoula: Mountain Press Publishing Company. ISBN 9780878420636.