A deluge of lava in the Columbia River Gorge

The enchanted, moss-covered Lancaster Falls in Warren Creek of the Columbia River Gorge bring the barren volcanic basalt rocks to life.
The Columbia River Gorge with its picturesque temperate rainforest and fabulous waterfalls deeply cuts into a deluge of basaltic lava. The subducting ocean plate along the coastline caused a thinning of the Earth’s crust inland of the volcanic Cascade Range chain due to geological process called back-arc spreading. This repeatedly caused volcanic fissures to crack open between 6 and 17 million years ago along the western border of Idaho. About 16 million years ago, enormous outpourings of fluid basaltic lava flooded major parts of Idaho, Washington and Oregon. The lava even reached the Pacific Ocean through a channel that resembles today’s Columbia River Gorge. The fairytale-like atmosphere of the forest and the waterfalls effectively conceals the destructive past of this landscape.