The Cascade Range is a mountain range located in the northwestern portion of the United States and southwestern part of Canada. It is 1,100 km (700 miles) long and extends from south to north through the State of Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia in Canada. With 4,392 m (1,411 ft) of altitude, Mount Rainier is the highest peak of this mountain system, while Mount St. Helens and Mount Hood are active volcanoes. In 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted with extreme violence and it was recorded on film. The Cascade Range gets its name from the abundance of terrace-like waterfalls (cascades) on the Columbia, Fraser, Klamath, and other rivers that cut through the range.
Geologically, the range is composed of Mesozoic crystalline rocks, which was later covered by huge layers of Paleogene and Neocene lavas. However, the Cascade Mountains belong to the Tertiary orogeny of the Cenozoic era, as it was formed and elevated by the collision and subduction of Juan de Fuca tectonic plate against the North American plate, sliding beneath it. Above this strongly dissected volcanic plateau, which is from 1,800 to 2,500 m high, rise isolated cones of volcanoes, such as Mount Baker, Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, Mount Hood, and Lassen Peak, with altitudes of 3,000 to 4,000 m and more.
Although most of the volcanoes are extinct, some of them are still active, such as Mount Rainier, Lassen Peak, and Mount St. Helens, which showed their greatest volcanic activity in the late 19th and 20th centuries. Signs of volcanic activities can be seen in mountain slopes, which abound in fumaroles and hot springs. The volcanic peaks are covered with vast snow fields and glaciers. Dark coniferous forests grow on the humid western slopes of the range and pine trees on the dry eastern slopes; above 2,800–3,000 m, the forests give way to subalpine and alpine meadows. There are copper and gold deposits in the mountains. Crater Lake, Mount Rainier, and Lassen Volcanic national parks are located in the Cascade Range.
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| The Cascade Range extends from Oregon to Canada. |
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