California, Siskiyou County, Tulelake
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Preserved for its caves and volcanic features since 1925, Lava Beds serves as an outdoor school for professional and amateur geologists alike. While the monument covers only ten percent of the surface area of the massive Medicine Lake shield volcano — the largest in the Cascades Range — it contains excellent examples of the many formations volcanic eruptions can leave behind. Here you can explore dozens of lava tube caves, hike to the top of a cinder cone, peer into a hollow spatter cone, and marvel at wide expanses of jagged lava fields. All these features formed rapidly during eruptive periods as lava exploded into the air or flowed downhill for miles. Though the volcano is a half-million years old, its most recent eruption at Glass Mountain occurred only 900 years ago. This suggests that lava may someday erupt here again, erasing old features and recreating the landscape once more.
(Environment) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
Preserved for its caves and volcanic features since 1925, Lava Beds serves as an outdoor school for professional and amateur geologists alike. While the monument covers only ten percent of the surface area of the massive Medicine Lake shield volcano — the largest in the Cascades Range — it contains excellent examples of the many formations volcanic eruptions can leave behind. Here you can explore dozens of lava tube caves, hike to the top of a cinder cone, peer into a hollow spatter cone, and marvel at wide expanses of jagged lava fields. All these features formed rapidly during eruptive periods as lava exploded into the air or flowed downhill for miles. Though the volcano is a half-million years old, its most recent eruption at Glass Mountain occurred only 900 years ago. This suggests that lava may someday erupt here again, erasing old features and recreating the landscape once more.(Environment) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.