Columnar basalt stone in the Umpqua National Forest, Oregon
© Jaynes Gallery/Danita Delimont
Columnar basalt stone in the Umpqua National Forest, Oregon
Of course there are countless trees in the nearly 1 million acres composing Oregon’s Umpqua National Forest. But the topography here reveals the volcanic history of the region near the southern end of the Cascade Mountain Range. When Cascade volcanoes erupted, some of their lava flows cooled in particular conditions that caused vertical fissures in the rock, forming these tightly packed pillars of stone. You’ll find these columns of basalt throughout the forest, usually along steep hillsides where the landscape shifts dramatically.
Related Images
Fireweed in North Cascades National Park in Washington state
Looking inland from Ponce de León Inlet toward the lighthouse, Florida
Bald eagles in Anchorage, Alaska
Ruffed grouse in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada
Muir Woods National Monument near San Francisco, California
Male leopard in Linyanti Wildlife Reserve, Botswana
Cabins in Valley Forge National Historical Park, Pennsylvania
Te Matua Ngahere, a giant kauri tree growing in the Waipoua Forest, North Island, New Zealand
Bing Today Images
Field of kochia plants, China
Sep 14, 2026
A waterfall in Olympic National Park, Washington
Sep 14, 2025
Przewalski's horses, Hustai National Park, Mongolia
Sep 14, 2023
View from the City Palace, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India
Sep 14, 2017
