Smith Rock State Park years ago, a large caldera was formed when overlying rock collapsed into an underground lava chamber. This created a huge amount of rock and ash debris that filled the caldera. That material solidified into rock, becoming Smith Rock tuff. Rhyolite flows intruded along faults in the Smith Rock Tuff. A half million years ago, basalt lava flows from nearby volcanoes covered the older tuff. More recently, the Crooked River cut its way through the layers of rock to create today's geographic features. Smith Rock itself is a -high ridge (above sea level) with a sheer cliff-face overlooking a bend in
Lava bench Lava bench A lava bench is a volcanic landform with a horizontal surface raised above the level of the surrounding area. They are created when molten lava travels away from a volcanic vent and expands an old shoreline. This is the process that creates new land in the ocean that life can eventually grow on. The Hawaiian islands are an example of land that was formed this way, and the Big Island is currently still expanding due to lava benches. The Kilauea Volcano releases lava that flows down the slope of the volcano and eventually encounters the ocean; this lava