The Geology of the Bear Creek Watershed Emigrant

The Geology of the Bear Creek Watershed Emigrant Lake & Bear Creek watershed Photo by Brandon Goldman

The Bear Creek Watershed Virtual Tours were created with funds provided by the Bear Creek Watershed Education Partners through a grant from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board with additional funding from Oregon Trout’s Healthy Waters Institute. THANKS TO: • Terri Eubanks • Brandon Goldman • Gerald Jones • Chris Larson

Geology of the Bear Creek Watershed Our area has a unique geologic history Bear Creek watershed

Geology is the study of the earth, including the rocks of which it is comprised, its fossilized life forms, and the changes that happen to the earth. Rocks and crystals, landslides, and floods are all part of the earth’s geologic processes. Mt. Mc. Loughlin

Our watershed is unique and has a history that goes back millions of years. The geology that created the watershed helps determine what life forms live there.

The land geology in our region was formed in many places and in many different ways. Some of the rocks were made by volcanoes; some of the rocks were formed from slow moving and slow cooling magma that rose to form granite; some rocks were part of the earth’s crust that was scraped to form mountains as the continental plate moved. In the Bear Creek watershed, two different mountain ranges, the Cascade and Klamath. Siskiyou, come together.

Different rock and soil types create our watershed. The colors in this map are only a few of the defined types in Oregon. Within any one of these types on this map are many others.

The Siskiyou Mountains have some of the highest diversity of animal and plant species in the United States. The reason for this is the meeting of several ecological and climate zones and geologic types creating many different kinds of habitats for animals and plants to live in. Northern Spotted Owl adult & young Photo by Chris Larson

Underlying formations in the region include granite that rose close to the earth’s surface, lava from ancient volcanoes that once flowed over the lands, and sedimentary rock from long ago seas. Mt. Mc. Loughlin

Rock types of the Bear Creek Watershed

Our watershed is filled with many familiar geographic features; some of these features include the mountains that define our watershed.

Mountains are built in two ways. One way is through volcanic activity when magma rises as a result of subduction along a plate collision boundary. The other way mountains are formed is as a result of the piling up of crust material along collision boundaries.

Pilot Rock is the remnant of a long ago lava flow. When a volcano explodes, hot molten rock from deep within the earth is released and added to land above.

Subduction occurs when one tectonic plate collides with another forcing it under the other, breaking up the land thrusting it upwards. The Coast Range was created this way.

Mountains and ridges define watershed boundaries. Ostrich Peak

A Ridgeline View would include Starting north and west of the mouth traveling south around the headwaters to the east and traveling north back to the mouth • • • John’s Peak @ 2806’ Miller Mtn. @ 3722’ Nelson Mtn. @ 3589’ Anderson Butte @ 5197’ Point Mtn. @ 5128’ Bald Mtn. @ 5528’ Panther Peak @ 4866’ Ostrich Peak @ 4663’ Wagner Butte @ 7418’ Mt. Ashland @ 7533’ Siskiyou Summit @ 4530’ • • • Pilot Rock @ 5908’ Soda Mtn. @ 6089’ Green Springs Summit @ 4618’ Green Springs Mtn. @ 5229’ Buck Point @ 4470’ Major Mtn. @ 3385’ Tom Spring Mtn. @ 5192’ Pompadour Bluff @ 2439’ Grizzly Peak @ 5920’ Tombstone @ 3214’ Roxy Ann Peak @ 3573

Much of the land surrounding the towns of the Bear Creek watershed is managed by two federal agencies – the Bureau of Land Management and the US Forest Service.

The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument is a federally protected area covering approximately 52, 940 acres and includes part of the Bear Creek watershed. Designated in 2000 by President Bill Clinton, this area is the nation's first monument designated in recognition of an area's biological diversity. View of Pilot Rock

Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument • One of the most diverse ecosystems found in the Cascade Range • 200 species of birds are known to exist in the monument including some threatened and endangered species such as the Great Grey Owl and Peregrine Falcon • Managing Agency- Bureau of Land Management

John’s Peak • Located- 10 miles West of Jacksonville • 2, 806 feet in elevation with over 14, 000 acres of trails with varying degrees of difficulty • Primary Use- All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) Recreation; Class I, II, and III • Managing Agency- Bureau of Land Management in conjunction with the Motorcycles Riders Association

Anderson Butte • Managing Agency- Bureau of Land Management • Location- Klamath Mountain Ecoregion • Site Specifics- include a mix of shrub land forests dominated by ceanothus-manzanita brush fields and shrub oak habitat • Outstanding Features- highly important to a very specific bird community that includes Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Wrentit, Oak Titmouse, and the California Towhee Rufous Hummingbird

Wagner Butte • Location- Towers directly above the Bear Creek Valley southwest of Ashland in the Rogue River National Forest • 7, 418 feet in elevation • Consists of miles of hiking trails featuring panoramic views of the Rogue and Little Applegate Valleys • Managing Agency- US Forest Service • History- former site of a Forest Service lookout originally built in the 1920’s, destroyed another built in 1961 and destroyed ten years later

Mount Ashland • Located- nearly due south of the City of Ashland • Highest point in the Siskiyou Mountain Range at 7, 533 feet in elevation • Managing Agency- United States Forest Service • Location of Mt. Ashland Ski Area consisting of 23 runs covering 200 acres of land accessed by four chairlifts • Receives an average of 300 inches of snowfall per year ● Pacific Crest Trail skirts the south and east sides of the mountain

Siskiyou Summit • Location- A mountain pass in the Siskiyou Mountains just north of the California border, traversed by Interstate- 5 • 4, 530 feet in elevation • Oregon Department of takes photographs for interpreting road conditions and safety

Pilot Rock • Located- in the Klamath/ Siskiyou Mountains near Jackson County’s border with California within the Cascade. Siskiyou National Monument • Remnant of a 30 -million-yearold lava flow that fractured into hexagonal columns of basalt from which the land surrounding has eroded away • Native Americans called this formation “Tants-atseniphta” which means “Stone Stand Up” • Managing Agency- Bureau of Land Management

Soda Mountain • Located- within the Cascade. Siskiyou National Monument • Houses a lookout station originally built in 1933 • Managing Agency- Bureau of Land Management • Contains a highly botanical diversity of tree species including Douglas-fir, Ponderosa and Sugar Pine, Incense Cedar, mountain Mahogany, Juniper, and Oregon White and California Black Oak • Draws an average of 115 different butterfly species including the rare Checkerspot and Klamath Mardon Skipper

Pompadour Bluff • Location- just slightly south east of Ashland • Part of the Payne Cliff formation, a sedimentary formation comprised primarily of conglomerate and sandstone

Grizzly Peak View from Grizzly Peak • History- Named in honor of a famous grizzly bear called “Old Reelfoot” for which the Ashland High School Football Team is named. • Many wildflowers including white trillium and yellow violets are common • Managing Agency- US Forest Service • Remnant of an active volcano of 23 million years ago • 5, 920 feet in elevation Photo by Gerald Jones

Roxy Ann Peak • History- Named for Roxy Ann Bowen; wife of John B. Bowen, a couple who settled at the base in the 1850’s • This peak was a famous place to study birds in the 1960’s

When you are in the Bear Creek watershed look to see some of the features and boundaries that make up our watershed. View from Grizzly Peak Photo by Gerald Jones