Editing Burns, Oregon (section)

===Geology===
Burns is in [[southeastern Oregon]] near the northern edge of the arid [[Harney Basin]]. The basin is part of the [[Northern Basin and Range ecoregion#High Lava Plains (80g)|High Lava Plains]], a region dominated by erupting volcanoes in the late [[Miocene]], five to ten million years ago. Centered on the [[Brothers Fault Zone]], which runs southeast–northwest between [[Steens Mountain]] and [[Bend, Oregon|Bend]], the High Lava Plains merge with the [[Blue Mountains (Pacific Northwest)|Blue Mountains]] to the north and the [[Basin and Range Province]] to the south.{{sfn|Orr|Orr|1999|pp=104–08}}

Shallow basins formed by crustal stretching in the Basin and Range province were much wetter during the late [[Pleistocene]], up to 11,000 years ago, than they are in the 21st&nbsp;century. Lakes formed in these basins, including those in the southern part of the High Lava Plains. Among these, the largest depression was the Harney Basin, covering {{convert|5300|mi2|km2}}. Within the Harney Basin, ancient Malheur Lake—the 21st-century remnants of which include [[Malheur Lake]], [[Harney Lake]], and Mud Lake—covered {{convert|900|mi2|km2}} and extended as far north as Burns. These remnant wetlands have become the [[Malheur National Wildlife Refuge]].{{sfn|Orr|Orr|1999|pp=104–08}}