Lava Butte, a cinder cone on the northwest flank of Newberry Volcano in central Oregon, was formed by a single eruption about 7,000 years ago. Hot cinders built the cone, then basalt flowed westward, burying the Deschutes River’s old channel under more than 100 feet of lava, damming the river to create Lake Benham, and later contributing to the formation of Benham Falls when the river cut through. The butte later drew attention from Native Americans, settlers, geologists, railroad builders, and road crews. Over the 20th century it became a protected scenic site, now part of Newberry National Volcanic Monument and a prominent accessible volcanic landmark.