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Showing posts with the label geological formation

What are the Painted Hills in Wheeler County, Oregon?

The Painted Hills is a special geologic site located about 10 miles northwest of Mitchell, 51 miles northeast of Prineville, 40 miles south of Fossil, and 49 miles west of Dayville. The easiest entrance is coming from US Highway 26 (Ochoco Highway) where travelers will see a sign directing them to the attraction. This amazingly beautiful area is one of three units within the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument ; the other two units of the park are the Clarno Unit and the Sheep Rock Unit. Located within the Sheep Rock Unit is the 11k square foot Thomas Condon Visitor Center where visitors can view murals, photo galleries, fossil displays, and a fishbowl paleontology laboratory. Visitors can also get some souvenirs at the Discover Your Northwest Park Store at the center. If you visit the Painted Hills, get your cameras out and take some amazing pictures of the area. The earthy vibrant tones and hues of reds, yellows, blacks, and golds will bring a sense of awe and wonder at the natura

What is the Hole-in-the-Ground in Lake County, OR?

NASA used it to practice for the moon. The Hole-in-the-Ground is a large crater caused by a volcanic explosion (maar). It is an entire mile across at the furthest point and 490 ft. deep in the middle. There is another maar 8 miles west of this one that is even bigger at 1.1 miles across called the Big Hole. The elevation of this area is 4,650 ft. This massive hole is one of the many geographic attractions found in Lake County, OR. It can be found off OR-31 around the 22-mile marker. There is a sign saying Hole-in-the-Ground and another entry point saying Outback Station. Off OR-31 at the second exit, visitors will take dirt roads and come across the Outback Station, which is an RV park, before getting to the Hole-in-the-Ground Vista Point about 2 miles later. The Hole-in-the-Ground is located within the Deschutes National Forest at the western edge of the Fort Rock basin. It is located about 8 miles northwest of the town of Fort Rock and 24 miles southeast of La Pine. The Oregon Encyc