Its total dense-rock equivalent eruptive output is 0.22 to 0.29 cubic miles (0.92 to 1.21 km3), with subfeatures including a tephra field and a lava tube system.

Future activity is possible, but according to the Volcano Hazards Program of the United States Geological Survey, the threat from the field itself is low.

The surroundings represent an area of geological interest, and scoria has been quarried from one of the field's volcanic cones for highway supplies.

[8] Clear Lake encompasses 148 acres (0.60 km2)[9] near Oregon Route 126,[10] with a shallow northern region and a deeper southern zone, which reaches a maximum depth of 175 feet (53 m).

[7] Annual precipitation in the Oregon Cascades averages 79 to 150 inches (2,000 to 3,800 mm), with about 80 percent falling in the winter season.

[12] The southern part of the field supports mature forests, but other zones with younger lava deposits are barren.

[14] Below elevations of 4,300 feet (1,300 m), these forests are typical of the lowland temperate climate of the Pacific Northwest, with Douglas fir and western hemlock predominating.

Predominantly, it has generated mafic (rich in magnesium and iron) lava, producing about 14 cubic miles (60 km3) of magma within the past 15,000 years.

The High Cascades graben displays a unique geochemical signature with low-K tholeiite magma and a relatively enriched mantle source, produced by extension and heat flux.

[6] The Sand Mountain Volcanic Field was formed after magma entered rock that was fractured by faulting related to subsidence of the High Cascades graben.

[5] The two groups cross near the Sand Mountain cinder cone; their alignments imply the existence of complex volcanic dikes under the field.

[11] Slight variations in vent alignment within groups likely reflect the small differences in local tectonic stress fields.

[25] These two deposits exhibit unique compositions; SnoPark lava has relatively higher levels of barium and potassium oxide than the rest of the field, with the exception of the Jack Pine lava, which has even higher concentrations of barium (and also very high levels of strontium),[26] at 1081 ppm and 1343 ppm, respectively.

[25] Morphologically, Sand Mountain Field lavas have blocky appearances,[26] reaching thicknesses up to 49 feet (15 m)[30] though certain parts of the Lost Lake group have a ropy, pāhoehoe surface.

[26] The Jack Pine cone in the Sand Mountain Field is composed of absarokites, which are unique within the Cascade Range.

[31] Basaltic lava from the Lost Lake cone group contained 2–3 percent olivine phenocrysts, which are slightly porphyritic; these deposits have been radiocarbon dated to 1,950 ± 150 years BP.

[31] At Nash Crater, there are basaltic andesite lava flows with sparse olivine phenocrysts and silica levels of about 53.5 percent.

[39] There is a lava tube called Lucy's Cavern that funneled the Sand Mountain Volcanic Field flows.

[26] These open vertical conduit lava caves, known as Century and Moss Pits, lie to the southwest of Sand Mountain on a ridge of spatter material that trends to the east.

[21] Past radiometric dating gave Sand Mountain Volcanic Field's age within a 1,000 year range.

More precise paleomagnetic dating suggested that the field includes at least 13 distinct eruptive units, which were generated over a short period of time (likely just a few decades) about 2,950 years ago.

[11] Deligne et al. (2016) agree with this age estimate, arguing that tephrochronology evidence and lava composition analysis suggest that Jack Pine erupted about 7,000 years ago, while the main Sand Mountain Volcanic Field eruptions took place circa 3,000 years ago.

Radiocarbon dating of a charred conifer branch found in Sand Mountain volcanic ash yielded an age of 3,440 ± 250 years Before Present (BP).

[51] The Lost Lake cinder cones erupted about 1,950 years ago, along a fissure that trended from north to south near the northern end of the volcanic field.

[11] It is close to a major transportation corridor from central Oregon to the Willamette Valley[52] as well as a popular ski area,[47] and future eruptions could have "substantial societal consequences" according to Deligne et al.

[42] However, according to the Volcano Hazards Program of the United States Geological Survey, the threat potential from the field is "Low/Very Low.

Further magma intrusions could lead to eruptions that would create new cinder cones similar to those in the Sand Mountain Field.

[11] The Carmen Smith Hydroelectric Power Scheme is fed by the upper McKenzie River and generates about 115 horsepower (86 kW) of electricity.

[6] The upper McKenzie River catchment area includes Clear Lake and Tamolitch Pool, which represent popular tourist locations.