The Role of Late-Cenozoic Lava Flows in the Evolution of the Owyhee River Canyon, Oregon

Over the last 2 Ma, at least six lava flows entered the canyon of the Owyhee River in southeastern Oregon, dramatically and repeatedly altering the river's course and profile. A combination of geochronologic, geochemical, and paleomagnetic analyses accompanied by extensive field mapping shows that these lava flows erupted from upland vents 10s of km from the river, entered the canyon via tributary or rim, and formed blockages sufficient to create lakes. Thick deltas of pillow lavas and rising passage zones in the head of the dams and subaerial lavas downstream of the dam indicate effective damming. The presence of fine grained laminated sediments deposited in the lakes suggests the dams were fairly long lived. Pending OSL dates and ongoing field study of these sediments will shed light on the nature and duration of dam construction and removal. Lava-water interaction during dam construction was extensive, and thick pillow lava deltas are common. In contrast to rivers in other locations, we did not find evidence of pyroclastics such as cinders associated with the dams. The three oldest intracanyon lava flows: the lower undivided Bogus lavas (>1.92 ± 0.22 Ma), the Bogus Rim (1.92 ± 0.22 Ma), and the Greeley Bar lavas (>780 ka), all record the filling of a wide, deep canyon, damming of the Owyhee River, and creation of extensive lakes at elevations 230 to 310 m above the modern river. The three younger lava flows, the Clarks Butte (248 ± 45 ka), the Saddle Butte (~125 ka), and the West Crater (60-90 ka), record the occurrence of similar events but in a narrower, deeper canyon similar to the modern one. Overall, this array of late Cenozoic intracanyon lava flows provides key insights into the long-term incision history of the canyon, possibly including the effect of integration with the Snake River, and supports a model of long-term, regional landscape evolution that is strongly linked to lava-water interactions.