Cline Buttes
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| Cline Buttes | |
|---|---|
 Cline Buttes viewed from the east | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 4,117 ft (1,255 m) |
| Coordinates | 44°15′08″N 121°18′09″W / 44.25229°N 121.30257°W |
| Geography | |
  Cline Buttes Location in Oregon  Cline Buttes Cline Buttes (the United States) | |
| Location | Deschutes County, Oregon |
| Topo map(s) | USGS Cline Falls, Oregon (44121C3) |
| Geology | |
| Rock age | Late Oligocene or early Miocene epoch |
| Mountain type | Volcanic |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Rough dirt road |
| Normal route | Hiking or biking trails |
The Cline Buttes are mountains with volcanic origins that form three dome-shaped peaks located in Deschutes County in central Oregon. They are some of the eastern foothills of the Cascade Range. Situated on land administered by the Bureau of Land Management, the buttes include the Cline Buttes Recreation Area and are flanked on the east and west sides by two separate sections of the Eagle Crest Resort. On the highest summit, there is a Federal Aviation Administration site with an aircraft navigation beacon. The mountains have several hiking trails as well as a number of popular mountain bike routes.
The Cline Buttes are composed of three rounded peaks. They are some of the easternmost foothills of the Cascade mountain range, located near the northwest corner of Oregon's high desert country. The mountains are in Deschutes County, approximately 7 miles (11 km) west of Redmond. Of the three crests, the southern peak is the highest. Its summit is 4,117 feet (1,255 m) above sea level. The Cline Buttes are a stand-alone mountain with the nearest higher peak 12 miles (19 km) to the south.[1][2] Cline Buttes feature gentle slopes[3] with highly conical shaped peaks.[4]
The Cline Buttes form a silicic volcanic center, active before the emplacement of the Deschutes Formation, a late Miocene to early Pliocene volcanic lava flow deposited between 7.5 and 5.3 million years ago.[4] Their lava flows cover a collective area of approximately 5.0 square miles (13 km2),[4] and were created as part of the John Day Formation during the late Oligocene or early Miocene epoch, approximately twenty-five million years ago. The primary rock that makes up the mountain is rhyolite with some basalt also present. Most of the rhyolite is white or light-gray. It was formed when volcanic magma cooled below the earth's surface before erupting onto the surface. There are also some obsidian flow-bands exposed in a rock quarry on the northeast flank of the mountains. The Cline Buttes have been significantly eroded over time, leaving a rounded dome shape with three separate crests. They are now covered with 10 to 20 inches (25 to 51 cm) of sandy loam soil in most areas with rhyolite and basalt outcropping on the steeper slopes.[5][6][7][8] The rhyolite lava flow deposits at Cline Buttes show a roughly porphyritic texture, with oligoclase phenocrysts making up between 1 and 2 percent of the minerals. These flows have been devitrified and show a normal-polarity magnetization.[7] Cline Buttes volcanoes also produced rhyodacite, which varies in color from light gray to red-brown and are similarly sparsely porphyritic.[4] The basalt lava flows produced a now-weathered hill on the western flank of the Buttes, which is not topped by rhyodacite and therefore likely formed after that lava erupted, despite having a lower relative elevation.[9]
Environment and ecology
To the west of the Cline Buttes are woodlands covered with western juniper transitioning to ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine, and fir forest. The forest extends to the timberline on the central Cascade peaks, approximately 22 miles (35 km) away. The area south and east of the mountain is drier. It is typical of Oregon's high desert country dominated by juniper and sagebrush.[2][10][11]
The slopes of the Cline Buttes are covered by an old-growth juniper forest with an understory dominated by low sagebrush.[10][11][12][13] Rabbitbrush is also a common understory shrub on the slopes. Low groundcover plants includes Granite Gilia, rough eyelash, Longleaf hawksbeard, and bunch grass.[14]
The Cline Buttes and the surrounding area host a wide variety of wildlife. Larger mammals found in the area include black-tailed deer, elk, coyotes, black bear, bobcats, and cougars. Smaller mammals include American badgers, striped skunks, black-tailed jackrabbits, white-tailed jackrabbits, mountain cottontails, Belding's ground squirrels, golden-mantled ground squirrels, and least chipmunks.[13][15][16]
Birds common to the Cline Buttes area include mountain chickadee, American goldfinch, lesser goldfinch, Black-headed grosbeak, mountain bluebird, Steller's jay, northern flickers, and black-billed magpie. Birds of prey found in the area include golden eagles, red-tailed hawks, northern harriers, and prairie falcons.[16][15] While prairie falcons are uncommon in most parts of central Oregon, the area around the Cline Buttes has a native breeding population. To protect these birds, some areas around the Cline Buttes are closed to humans activities several months each year.[17]
