The Volcanic Peak That Self-Destructed

Mount Mazama was once a towering 12,000-foot giant that essentially erased itself. A massive eruption emptied its magma chamber, causing the mountain to collapse into its own crater to form Crater Lake.

This catastrophic event occurred roughly 7,700 years ago, leaving behind a caldera that eventually filled with rain and snowmelt. The resulting Crater Lake is now the deepest lake in the United States, plunging nearly 2,000 feet down. Its waters are famously blue because of their incredible purity and depth. It is a haunting reminder of how mountains can literally disappear from the landscape in a single geological heartbeat.