The Birth of a Tuff Ring

The Birth of a Tuff Ring. . , They say it happened more than 100,000 years ago. Molten rock, squeezing its way toward the surface, ran into groundwater. The result? Great explosions of steam, lake-bed mud, and billions of glass shards. Wave after wave of this boiling mixture swept outward leaving layers of glassy mud. After each blast, some layers slumped down into the crater. The debris formed a massive ring around a broad crater. Later, the glassy mud of the 6000 foot wide tuff ring solidified into rock. , At its creation, Fort Rock towered 400 feet above the floor of the old lake bed. The long gentle slopes of its youth were eroded into tall cliffs full of holes and cracks. Today, about 300 feet tall and smaller in diameter, the rugged crescent is all that remains of the tuff ring. , Prevailing southwesterly winds whipped relentless waves against the fort’s perimeter, eventually eroding the gap in the rock you see today. , Flamingos in Oregon? , As you view this 40 mile-long valley, imagine how much of this area would have been covered by the lake. Picture herds of bison, horses and camel-like animals, grazing on lush grasslands along the lake shore. , Imagine also Southwestern-style pinon pine forests blanketing much of this area, and maybe even flocks of long-legged pink birds along the lake shore, whose likeness still graces select suburban lawns.