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State Parks, Historic Sites, and Museums need your help.Places Earth recently encountered closed state parks in Arizona and California is threatening to close all state parks. The story is similar throughout the country. Places Earth urges everyone to support these vital and important public resources any way you can. Please find a worthy local or distant historic site or museum that is in financial danger and donate your treasure, time, and talent. Write to your governor and other elected officials telling them to find a way to keep these parks open. It will be your loss. Public Service Announcement |
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Mono Craters
All photographs taken by Kenneth A. Larson. All rights reserved. © 2009 - 2010.
The southern section of the chain as seen from the Grave of the Unknown Prospector.
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Mono Craters is a row of 24 volcanos beginning in Mono Lake and continuing south running parallel to and east of Highway 395. Mono Craters form the youngest mountain range in North America, with the first eruptions beginning about 40,000 years ago. Panum Crater is the youngest volcano in the U.S. which first erupted only 650 years ago, recent in geologic terms. The craters are an example of a Rhyolitic Plug-Dome volcanos. The chain of volcanos are dormant, which means they will probably erupt again. Black Point, Negit Island, and Paoha Island are part of the chain. Paoha Island emerged from the lake within the last 350 years. The lava was high in silica, about 76% quartz, making it very viscous and glassy and cooled into several different rock forms. Much of the surface is made of pumice, an air-filled frothy rock. Obsidian is chemically identical to pumice, but erupted slowly allowing the air to escape and cooled too quickly for large crystals to form. It is glass like and breaks producing sharp edges and was used by the first Americans for arrow heads and other tools and weapons. Obsidian absorbs water and recrystalizes into fine-grained rock quickly, so finding it indicates a young eruption. Breadcrust bombs formed when globs molten lava was thrown into the air allowing the surface to cool quickly but interior gasses continued expanding creating cracks in the surface crust - looking like bread crust. Lapilli, or Pele's Tears, are small drops of obsidian. These volcanos began when bubbles of hot magma rose toward the surface. When the lava reached ground water near the surface, it created steam that exploded to the surface throwing rock and debris into the air creating a crater. Pumice ash followed and settled about the new crater, with a fountain of cinders, ash, and pumice continuing until a large ring surrounded the crater. Lava sometimes rose in the crater forming the dome of hardened breccia as it continued. Eventually the pressure was eased and in the final phase, obsidian spires were pushed up through cracks in the crust of the dome. Some of the volcanos in the chain produced flowing lava called coulee. |
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| The chain of volcanos as seen from Highway 120. | |
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| One of the volcanos as seen from Panum Crater. | |
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| The southern end of the chain as seen from the Grave of the Unknown Prospector. | |
 Seen from the Grave of the Unknown Prospector. |
 One of the craters as seen from South Tufa. |
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| Mono County Main Page |
This page last updated: Monday, 07-Dec-2009 08:46:36 CST
| Note: This is not the official site for any of the places shown in Places Earth. Places Earth is not responsible for accuracy of the information. Hours of operations, prices, exhibits, and sometimes locations are subject to change without notice. |
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This web site started because of my love for Architecture and interest in History. This web site is for your benefit and I make no profit on it. I don't allow paid advertising. This site is supported primarily from my regular paycheck as a Set Designer and there haven' been many this year. My wife sells Gold Canyon products at www.valleygirlcandles.com and I sell art at www.klimages.com. A non-tax deductable donation to help cover the cost of operating this web site may be made to Kesign Design Consulting through PayPal ... | ||
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This site maintained by Kenneth A. Larson. Copyright © 2004 - 2010, Kenneth A. Larson. All Rights Reserved. Website content including photographic and graphic images may not be redistributed for use on another website. |
| This site is a non-commercial alternative to my commercial design portfolio site. This site's only purpose is for your enjoyment. There is no advertising and I make no profit. If you are in the need of a designer, please check my commercial site www.kesigndesign.com. |
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