Wizard Island
Encyclopedia
Wizard Island is a volcanic cinder cone
which forms an island at the west end of Crater Lake
in Crater Lake National Park
, Oregon
. The top of the island reaches 6933 feet (2,113 m) above sea level
, about 755 feet (230 m) above the average surface of the lake. The cone is capped by a volcanic crater
about 500 foot wide and 100 foot deep. The crater was named the "Witches Cauldron" by Will G. Steel in 1885, who also gave Wizard Island its name at the same time.
The land area of the island is 315.85 acres (127.8 ha).
Wizard Island was created after Mount Mazama
, a large stratovolcano
, erupted violently approximately 7,700 years ago, forming its caldera
which now contains Crater Lake. Following the cataclysmic caldera-forming eruption, which left a hole about 4000 foot deep where the mountain had once stood, a series of smaller eruptions over the next several hundred years formed several cinder cones on the caldera floor. The highest of these cones, the only one to rise above the current lake level, is Wizard Island, which rises over 2700 foot above the lowest point on the caldera floor and the deepest point in the lake.
Another large cinder cone, Merriam Cone, is located in the northeast part of the lake. Although Merriam Cone rises about 1400 foot above the caldera floor, its summit is still 505 feet (153.9 m) below the average lake level. Its surface features and lack of a crater indicate that Merriam Cone formed under water.
Current public access to Wizard Island is available only during the summer months when boat tours on Crater Lake are in operation. The tours depart from Cleetwood Cove at the north end of the lake, and circle the lake in the counterclockwise direction, stopping at a dock at Governors Bay on the south side of Wizard Island. Passengers on boat trips early in the day may choose to disembark on the island, but must be prepared to spend the entire day on the island if subsequent boats are too full to take on additional passengers. Those on late afternoon boat trips are not permitted to disembark. A final boat is dispatched at the end of each day to pick up any stragglers since overnight camping is not permitted on the island. Two hiking trails are available on Wizard Island, one of which switchbacks up the flanks of the cone and circles the crater on top while the other trail meanders from the dock towards the western end of the island.
Cinder cone
According to the , Cinder Cone is the proper name of 1 cinder cone in Canada and 7 cinder cones in the United States:In Canada: Cinder Cone In the United States:...
which forms an island at the west end of Crater Lake
Crater Lake
Crater Lake is a caldera lake located in the south-central region of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is the main feature of Crater Lake National Park and famous for its deep blue color and water clarity. The lake partly fills a nearly deep caldera that was formed around 7,700 years agoby the...
in Crater Lake National Park
Crater Lake National Park
Crater Lake National Park is a United States National Park located in southern Oregon. Established in 1902, Crater Lake National Park is the sixth oldest national park in the United States and the only one in the state of Oregon...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. The top of the island reaches 6933 feet (2,113 m) above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
, about 755 feet (230 m) above the average surface of the lake. The cone is capped by a volcanic crater
Volcanic crater
A volcanic crater is a circular depression in the ground caused by volcanic activity. It is typically a basin, circular in form within which occurs a vent from which magma erupts as gases, lava, and ejecta. A crater can be of large dimensions, and sometimes of great depth...
about 500 foot wide and 100 foot deep. The crater was named the "Witches Cauldron" by Will G. Steel in 1885, who also gave Wizard Island its name at the same time.
The land area of the island is 315.85 acres (127.8 ha).
Formation
Mount Mazama
Mount Mazama is a destroyed stratovolcano in the Oregon part of the Cascade Volcanic Arc and the Cascade Range. The volcano's collapsed caldera holds Crater Lake, and the entire mountain is located within Crater Lake National Park....
, a large stratovolcano
Stratovolcano
A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a tall, conical volcano built up by many layers of hardened lava, tephra, pumice, and volcanic ash. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile and periodic, explosive eruptions...
, erupted violently approximately 7,700 years ago, forming its caldera
Caldera
A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption, such as the one at Yellowstone National Park in the US. They are sometimes confused with volcanic craters...
which now contains Crater Lake. Following the cataclysmic caldera-forming eruption, which left a hole about 4000 foot deep where the mountain had once stood, a series of smaller eruptions over the next several hundred years formed several cinder cones on the caldera floor. The highest of these cones, the only one to rise above the current lake level, is Wizard Island, which rises over 2700 foot above the lowest point on the caldera floor and the deepest point in the lake.
Another large cinder cone, Merriam Cone, is located in the northeast part of the lake. Although Merriam Cone rises about 1400 foot above the caldera floor, its summit is still 505 feet (153.9 m) below the average lake level. Its surface features and lack of a crater indicate that Merriam Cone formed under water.
Access
External links
- USGS Crater Lake Data Clearinghouse
- USGS Crater Lake Bathymetry Images
- USGS: Crater Lake, OR: Wizard Island Perspective View
- USGS: Crater Lake, OR: Merriam Cone Perspective View
- Crater Lake National Park (National Park Service)
- Crater Lake Boat Tours (official NPS concessionaire site)