The Disappearance of Mount Mazama. Copyright, C. Lewis, Monmouth, Oregon Abt. 1901 Pearson's Magazine Showing how some mountains commit suicide by blowing off their heads, while others behave like Mount Mazama, which undermined its foundations with volcanic explosions, causing such extensive outflows of lava that the entire structure collapsed, and only a hole in the earth was left to mark the place where the Mountain once stood. By T.E. James.
Volcanic mountains destroy themselves in various ways.
It would be easy to multiply instances of mountains that have left such craters. In contrast to the mountains that violently blow away their heads are those that engulf themselves, and gradually sink away from sight. In the State of Oregon, in the heart of the Cascade range of mountains, lies a great lake within a crater. Crater Lake, as it is called, is the deepest mass of fresh water in all the States, having a depth of 2000ft., and, singularly enough, it has no visible outlet. The water half fills the hollow, for the vast walls tower up 2000ft. above the smooth surface.