{{Infobox mountain | name = Abert Rim | other_name = {{native name|pao|paʔa tɨkwɨnɨdɨ}} | etymology = "high rim rock" in Northern Paiute | image = Abert Rim Snow.jpg | image_caption = Abert Rim in the winter | elevation_ft = 7548 | elevation_ref = <ref name="SP">{{cite summitpost|id=345187|title=Abert Rim|accessdate=26 February 2010}}</ref> | prominence_ft = 2500 | prominence_ref = | map = Oregon | map_caption = Oregon | location = Lake County, Oregon, United States | range = | coordinates = {{coord|42.65|N|120.18|W|type:mountain_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline,title}} | coordinates_ref = | topo_map = | type = Fault-block escarpment | age = | first_ascent = | easiest_route = }}

'''Abert Rim''' (Northern Paiute: {{lang|pao|paʔa tɨkwɨnɨdɨ}})<ref name="paʔa tɨkwɨnɨdɨ">{{cite web|title=nɨmɨ yadua - Yahooskin Words and Phrases|publisher=The Klamath Tribes|year=2022|url=https://klamathtribes.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/numu-yadua-booklet-scan-copy.pdf|access-date=April 10, 2026}}</ref> in Lake County, Oregon is one of the highest fault scarps in the United States. It rises {{convert|760|m|ft|disp=flip}} above the valley floor, finishing with an {{convert|250|m|ft|adj=on|disp=flip}} sheer-sided basalt cap. It was formed during the Miocene epoch. At that time basaltic flood lavas covered much of eastern Oregon. In subsequent faulting, great blocks were tilted and Abert Rim is at the western end of one of these blocks, while Lake Abert lies on top of another. Stretching more than {{convert|48|km|mi|disp=flip}} from Lakeview north to Alkali Lake, Abert Rim is also the longest exposed fault scarp in North America.

Bighorn sheep were transplanted to the rim in 1975 and 1977 from nearby Hart Mountain, and are often spotted from the Abert Rim geologic point of interest sign located along Highway 395. Raptors, such as the Ferruginous Hawk, are also common in the area.

The Chewaucan River enters Lake Abert from the south, however it has no outlet. The lake level varies depending on rainfall and it nearly completely dried up 140 years ago.{{Citation needed|date=January 2008}} It is one of the Great Basin lakes.

Prior to European settlement of the region, the Northern Paiute called the fault scarp ''paʔa tɨkwɨnɨdɨ'', which means "high rim rock."<ref name="paʔa tɨkwɨnɨdɨ"/> The escarpment and lake were first mapped on December&nbsp;20, 1843, by John C. Frémont, who named it after Colonel John James Abert, his commanding officer.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|year=1905|author=Gannett, Henry|url=https://archive.org/details/origincertainpl00ganngoog|page=[https://archive.org/details/origincertainpl00ganngoog/page/n28 22]}}</ref>

The southern section of Abert Rim is a popular spot for paragliding and hang gliding because of the frequent thermals created by warm valley air rising up against the cliffs. The area was formerly considered by many to be the hang gliding capital of the West until paragliding superseded it in popularity. National free flight festivals are held each year in late June and during the Fourth of July.

==See also== * Burma Rim * Basin and Range Province * Geology of the Pacific Northwest

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{Commons-inline}} * {{Oregon Encyclopedia|abert_rim|Abert Rim|Bishop, Ellen}}

Category:Landforms of Lake County, Oregon Category:Escarpments of the United States

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