Mount Mazama Ash from Crater Lake volcano eruption 7,700 years ago

Mount Mazama (known today as Crater Lake National Park, Oregon) erupted violently 7,700 years ago leaving an impressive crater where the mountain once stood. A blanket of volcanic ash from the eruption was deposited downwind - a well-known time marker for geologists throughout the Pacific Northwest.
This 3-minute video - Mazama Ash - features a site where the famous ash is exposed in Johnson Canyon, right next to heavily-traveled Interstate 90 in central Washington. No other ash bed - including the 1980 Mt St Helens ash layer - rivals the Mazama for regional thickness. The Mazama is found through the Northwest, including under the waves of the Pacific Ocean. The 7,700 year-old ash layer has been consistently found in submarine canyons beneath 13 underwater landslide deposits created by 13 great earthquakes since the Mazama eruption.
Tom Foster (HUGEfloods.com) and Nick Zentner (Central Washington University) have been hiking together in eastern Washington for years. ‘Mazama Ash’ is part of an "I-90 Rocks” geology video series.

[@BlakeMcCringleberry]

This channel is criminally undersubscribed.

[@lancewilson5077]

This is a fascinating channel. I always seem to be learning something new about my backyard, each time I visit. Keep up wit the outstanding work!

[@Ellensburg44]

We were hoping you'd say that, Lance. Thanks!

[@straightup7up]

Crater Lake is so unique - definitely my favorite park in America.

[@alxmeadows]

I love Nick. He’ll break it down for you. Just awesome

[@skeptreuk660]

Great upload, my wife and I were on I-5 just south of Portland when St Helens blew, sure seemed like more than 1/4 inch of ash as we drove north to Vancouver, B.C. once we got back on the highway.

[@Ellensburg44]

Thanks. 1/4 inch of ash in our valley where the video was filmed...but yes, much more in many places!

[@chadlee4556]

awesome stuff, color me a nerd but I like geology.

[@Ellensburg44]

+Chad Lee Cool people dig geology, Chad. Own it.

[@dmze06]

Very interesting video! Thanks so much! Crater Lake is beautiful and now I know more about its history.

[@Ellensburg44]

Glad you liked it.

[@JimJovanovich]

Another great video. Your series is a treasure. Keep up the great work!

[@Ellensburg44]

Appreciate it, Jim.

[@g.scottbroemeling1699]

hey Nick, right before and next to Buffalo eddy there is some thick layers of Mazama ash, it's mind blowing how thick it is in places, so I'm thinking the amount of ash that fell here in Eastern WA, and southwestern Idaho had to reach the rooftops of easily 2 story house's! that's incredible and Nez Perce , Kyuse , Walla Walla, Yakima, all survived some how!

[@fredmac1000]

Thank you for your efforts 🙏🙏🌷

[@jendajohnson6317]

And yet another clean, informative, creative video by Nick Zentner that shares what we see as we cruise through Northwest landscapes. (And did you know that Mr. Zentner is also a musician/performer? A good one, at that!) Thanks for making this.

[@Ellensburg44]

Thanks for the support, Jenda!

[@peterjarnes25]

Well done very cool thanks for the knowledge!

[@dmze06]

Came over from Claire's site. Geology is fascinating stuff! Always like to see how the Earth is put together over billions of years. So much of the history has been erased by time, erosion, and continental plate movements.

[@Ellensburg44]

Thanks. Yes, so much rock is missing. The stories are based on what is left over...

[@dmze06]

***** Great sleuthing! Thanks for all your hard work and clever piecing together of the geologic record.

[@johntrojan9653]

And Bernie Sanders running for Prez 🤣 🤛 🤣 🤛 🤣 ✔️ ✔️

[@eveningstar1968]

Hi! Claire sent me. I love geology videos as it's a part of science I love learning about.

[@Ellensburg44]

So glad you heard about us through Claire.

[@alphy79d]

You know Nick, I've always wondered about all the geological diversity along the trip from Tacoma to WSU. I'm hoping your videos complete the journey and perhaps take a detour down highway 2. Keep up the great work and thanks for making the rocks come alive.

[@Ellensburg44]

Plenty of good drives in our state. Thanks for the tip. I-90 is keeping us busy for now!

[@ColTravis]

+alphy79d You should check with Tacoma Community College to see if they still offer a course on Washington rocks and waters.

[@thomasdrivas5317]

Hey Nick would love to see you do a lecture on Caldera forming eruptions we’ve spoken about super volcanoes, so we don’t need to cover that type of Caldera I’m talking more of Calderas created by huge stratovolcanoes like Mt Mazama in Oregon as I do know one day Rainer is probably going to reach height that maybe too much to with stand in the magma chamber . It is a possibility and I know many geologists are hoping for the best, so I think it is a good idea to probably talk about what we know so far as to what happens.

[@juniorgc8]

Amazing thank you

[@Snillocad143]

I pulled over at MP 119 last year but I was not sure about crossing the fence on the West bound side of I-90. I think whether I will have another try.. Do I need to talk to a landowner?

[@SCW1060]

Thanks Nick next time we drive over there I'll have to stop by and get a sample that would be awesome to have along with my Thorpe Lahar sample

[@Ellensburg44]

Sounds like a plan, Scott.

[@johntrojan9653]

Good luck in collecting a sample bcuz 800 gazillion other ppl are ahead of you 😳

[@SCW1060]

@@johntrojan9653 There is plenty of samples but you just have to know where they are by doing your research

[@johntrojan9653]

👍 👍 I'm a Trumpinite; I follow his research - ""🚫!"" 👌 👌

[@stevenpierce9160]

Great 👍🏼

[@1Weemaryanne]

WildwoodClaire sent me, very cool stuff, thank you & sub.

[@RJTheMountainSage]

The fabled mighty Mazama.. wonder if mt hood shares the same fate

[@stormysampson1257]

My husband and I just came out of a bit of shock. We heard that there have been 13 separate amplitude 9 earthquakes in the last 7700 years, since Mazama blew. Is that right? Got out our calculator and that means every...592 years on average there has been a 9 earthquake? Where were the likely epicenters? Cascadia? Cascadia 'is due' because it has been 600 years since the last? Is there a cycle here or were there erratic spans of time? You said tsunamis so we are assuming Cascadia?

[@Ellensburg44]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3uagpZpl9iroKs

[@bigrooster6893]

It would’ve been awesome if this eruption would’ve happened in the age of TV there hasn’t been a VEI-7 eruption in over 200 years.

[@Don.Challenger]

Were the magnitude seven earthquake jolts there, the same as the magnitude nine earthquakes generating the seaward tsunamis that successively buried the seafloor ash? or are their various locations and timing all established.

[@Pipsqwak]

Awesome! I do often wonder about Native Americans witnessing things like the eruption of Mt. Mazama (and other eruptions in the Cascades), as well as the numerous great earthquakes and tsunamis. I also wonder if they witnessed the Glacial Lake Missoula/Columbia floods at the end of the Ice Age, and if so, how many survivors there were and if they went on to incorporate it into their ancient oral histories.

[@dickybannister5192]

I've watched a few videos about it. I think the one that mentions oral traditions is the National Park Diaries one. dunno where he got that from, but I presume he has refs.

[@gatorgib]

LEGEND!

[@dallasleavell]

I watched this video last night, along with many other hugefloods videos. Today I hiked the talapus-olallie lake trail off I-90 at FS9030 and noticed a substantial ash layer right under the duff layer. Now I'm wondering if it was from this.

[@Ellensburg44]

Probably Mazama!

[@geoffreylee5199]

Massama ? What do the indigenous population call it?

[@danothemano4129]

Fascinating I should have been a geologist!

[@Ellensburg44]

Yes you should've!

[@CubeRepublic]

Thanks, interesting!

[@Ellensburg44]

Glad you think so!

[@CubeRepublic]

***** No worries, subscribed. I studied a bit of geology in UK when I was younger. The east coast of northern England is a geological treasure trove. I even found a 40m year old tree root fossil on a school field trip, which I've kept to this day. Wish I'd stuck at it!

[@Ellensburg44]

Have heard from many that they wish they'd pursued their interest in geology. Interesting.

[@makaelarodeback7058]

Can volcanoes form into another type of volcano? For example, could Mt. Mazama begin and end (Wizard Island) as a cinder cone?

[@Ellensburg44]

+Makaela Rodeback Interesting question. Some volcanoes have a variety of lava types. So yes, there are different possibilities through time with the evolution of a volcano.

[@James.99]

I think Mount Shasta is built on a previously collapsed stratovolcano. Crater Lake could possibly become active and build up a new mountain in the future

[@KeyWestBluesX]

The layers of ash and chalky diatomite but also glacial lacustrine deposits usually are the same color --is there a field or home test such as vinegar or something to settle what the various layers are?. In our Spokane area layers such as near Qualchan golf course at latah creek there are so many layers I wish i could tell. Also there are the chalky or ash type layers mixed in with the flood deposits there so I wish I could tell. Some of the layers are thin and whitish interwoven with the flood layers (rithmites?) that are glass hard--as hard or harder than cement. Can certain chemicals at times create a natural type of cement? The glass hard layer I am talking about is thin--a quarter inch or less. I hope that sometime you could do a segment on the layers at qualchan golf course. Specifically those layers were mentioned as they worked out the fact that the glacial floods occured maybe a hundred times. Sorrry this got so long GOOD LUCK and thanks for the great videos IS YOUR HAMMER STILL DOWN THE BASALT??

[@Ellensburg44]

KeyWestBluesX Hammer still at the bottom of the crack! All of the white layers are soft - except caliche (hard pan) from dissolved minerals in solution precipitating out. It's not easy in the to distinguish the soft layers in the field, except to say the ash usually has fresh, sparkly minerals in it under a handlens.

[@TFlexxx]

Love this stuff. No training in geology, though.

[@Ellensburg44]

Glad you like it!

[@nanogodgamma4880]

7700 yrs ago? Every other source says 6900 yrs ago. Why the discrepancy?

[@Ellensburg44]

Very accurate date recently published from ash trapped in Greenland ice sheet.

[@hertzer2000]

Nick, Let's go fishing sometime. You'd have to buy me a plane ticket, though.

[@Ellensburg44]

Let's do it.

[@lizziemarie5590]

What is the name of the beach @ 2:16? It looks awesome!

[@Ellensburg44]

Probably at La Push, Washington...but not certain.

[@semgntfere1427]

Gi I have this petrified wood