The Big Sink

Jamie Hinderliter

Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA 99362

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The Big Sink is a somewhat contested landform in the Blue Mountains near Tollgate, Oregon. Although its name implies that it is a form of karst topography, hummocky terrain, the presence of backward-rotated basalt columns and other evidence suggest that the Big Sink is actually a result of mass movement. Exactly what type of mass movement or combination of movements, as well as the volume and probable causes are to be researched. Other Whitman student theses in the area should supply supplemental information on the age of the event, as well as what role regional stratigraphy may have played, if any.