Lassen Volcanic National Park

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Lassen Volcanic National Park
Lassen Peak and Lake Helen.jpg
Lake Helen in Lassen Volcanic National Park
Relief map of California.png
Red pog.svg
Location in California
Usa edcp relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
Location in the United States
Location Shasta, Lassen, Plumas, and Tehama counties, California, United States
Nearest city Redding and Susanville
Coordinates 40°29′53″N121°25′39″W / 40.49806°N 121.42750°W / 40.49806; -121.42750
Area106,452 acres (430.80 km2) [1]
EstablishedAugust 9, 1916
Visitors499,435(in 2018) [2]
Governing body National Park Service
Website Lassen Volcanic National Park
Map of Lassen Volcanic National park NPS lassen-volcanic-map-2020.jpg
Map of Lassen Volcanic National park
Mount Shasta from Lassen Peak Shasta from Lassen.jpg
Mount Shasta from Lassen Peak
Painted Dunes and Fantastic Lava Beds as seen from the edge of Cinder Cone's crater. Painted Dunes and Fantastic Lava Beds (upright).jpg
Painted Dunes and Fantastic Lava Beds as seen from the edge of Cinder Cone's crater.

Lassen Volcanic National Park is an American national park in northeastern California. The dominant feature of the park is Lassen Peak, the largest plug dome volcano in the world and the southernmost volcano in the Cascade Range. [3] Lassen Volcanic National Park is one of the few areas in the world where all four types of volcanoes can be found: plug dome, shield, cinder cone, and stratovolcano. [4]

Contents

The source of heat for the volcanism in the Lassen area is subduction of the Gorda Plate diving below the North American Plate off the Northern California coast. [5] The area surrounding Lassen Peak is still active with boiling mud pots, fumaroles, and hot springs. [6]

Lassen Volcanic National Park started as two separate national monuments designated by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1907: Cinder Cone National Monument and Lassen Peak National Monument. [7] Starting in May 1914 and lasting until 1917, a series of minor to major eruptions occurred on Lassen. Because of the eruptive activity and the area's stark volcanic beauty, Lassen Peak, Cinder Cone, and the area surrounding were established as a National Park on August 9, 1916. [8]

History

The Atsugewi have inhabited the area since long before white settlers first saw Lassen. They knew that the peak was full of fire and water and thought it would one day blow itself apart. [8]

European immigrants in the mid-19th century used Lassen Peak as a landmark on their trek to the fertile Sacramento Valley. One of the guides to these immigrants was a Danish blacksmith named Peter Lassen, who settled in Northern California in the 1830s. Lassen Peak was named after him. [8] Nobles Emigrant Trail was later cut through the park area and passed Cinder Cone and the Fantastic Lava Beds.

Inconsistent newspaper accounts reported by witnesses from 1850 to 1851 described seeing "fire thrown to a terrible height" and "burning lava running down the sides" in the area of Cinder Cone.[ citation needed ] As late as 1859, a witness reported seeing fire in the sky from a distance, attributing it to an eruption. Early geologists and volcanologists who studied the Cinder Cone concluded the last eruption occurred between 1675 and 1700. After the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) began reassessing the potential risk of other active volcanic areas in the Cascade Range. Further study of Cinder Cone estimated the last eruption occurred between 1630 and 1670. Recent tree-ring analysis has placed the date at 1666.

The Lassen area was first protected by being designated as the Lassen Peak Forest Preserve. Lassen Peak and Cinder Cone were later declared as U.S. National Monuments in May 1907 by President Theodore Roosevelt. [9]

Starting in May 1914 and lasting until 1921, a series of minor to major eruptions occurred on Lassen. These events created a new crater, and released lava and a great deal of ash. Fortunately, because of warnings, no one was killed, but several houses along area creeks were destroyed. Because of the eruptive activity, which continued through 1917, and the area's stark volcanic beauty, Lassen Peak, Cinder Cone and the area surrounding were declared a National Park on August 9, 1916. [8]

The 29 mi (47 km) Main Park Road was constructed between 1925 and 1931, just 10 years after Lassen Peak erupted. Near Lassen Peak the road reaches 8,512 ft (2,594 m), making it the highest road in the Cascade Mountains. It is not unusual for 40 ft (12 m) of snow to accumulate on the road near Lake Helen and for patches of snow to last into July.[ citation needed ]

In October 1972, a portion of the park was designated as Lassen Volcanic Wilderness by the US Congress (Public Law 92-511). The National Park Service seeks to manage the wilderness in keeping with the Wilderness Act of 1964, with minimal developed facilities, signage, and trails. The management plan of 2003 adds that, "The wilderness experience offers a moderate to high degree of challenge and adventure." [10]

In 1974, the National Park Service took the advice of the USGS and closed the visitor center and accommodations at Manzanita Lake. The Survey stated that these buildings would be in the way of a rockslide from Chaos Crags if an earthquake or eruption occurred in the area. [8] An aging seismograph station remains. However, a campground, store, and museum dedicated to Benjamin F. Loomis stands near Manzanita Lake, welcoming visitors who enter the park from the northwest entrance.[ citation needed ]

After the Mount St. Helens eruption, the USGS intensified its monitoring of active and potentially active volcanoes in the Cascade Range. Monitoring of the Lassen area includes periodic measurements of ground deformation and volcanic-gas emissions and continuous transmission of data from a local network of nine seismometers to USGS offices in Menlo Park, California. [11] Should indications of a significant increase in volcanic activity be detected, the USGS will immediately deploy scientists and specially designed portable monitoring instruments to evaluate the threat. In addition, the National Park Service (NPS) has developed an emergency response plan that would be activated to protect the public in the event of an impending eruption.

A downhill skiing site operating in the area was closed in 1992. [12] The last remaining part was the Lassen Chalet, located near the southwest entrance, which was finally demolished in 2005. [12] The new Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center opened to the public at the same location in 2008. [13] It was so named after the Mountain Maidu name for Lassen Peak. [13]

In 2021, the Dixie Fire burned large portions of the National Park, becoming the largest wildfire in park history. [14] On August 5, 2021, the fire entered Lassen Volcanic National Park near Juniper Lake and the entire park was closed for safety. The town of Mineral, including park headquarters, was forced to evacuate. Structure loss occurred at the Drakesbad Guest Ranch and at cabins near Juniper Lake. The Dixie Fire's advance northward was slowed by the 2012 Reading Fire footprint, but the Dixie Fire ultimately burned 73,240 acres within the park—approximately 69% of the park's total area. 12,845 acres, or 18% of that area, burned at a severity that left the landscape unchanged. 34,450 acres, or 49% of the burned area in the park, burned at a low-to-moderate severity. The remaining 23,493 acres, or 33% of the area burned by the Dixie Fire in Lassen Volcanic National Park, burned at a high severity. [15] [16]

Visitors to Lassen National Park by year [17]
YearRecreational visitors
2016536,068
2015468,092
2014432,977
2013427,409
2012407,653
2011351,269
2010384,570
2009365,639
2008377,361
2007395,057

The NPS tracks Lassen visitors by counting vehicles entering the park via in-road inductive loops at all vehicle entrances. Buses and other non-reportable vehicles are subtracted from the vehicle count, which is then multiplied by three, an estimate of the number of visitors per vehicle. [18]

Geography and geology

Map of Lassen area showing hydrothermal features (red dots) and volcanic features or remnants (yellow cones). Also shown is the outline of Brokeoff Volcano (Mount Tehama). Lassen VNP map.png
Map of Lassen area showing hydrothermal features (red dots) and volcanic features or remnants (yellow cones). Also shown is the outline of Brokeoff Volcano (Mount Tehama).

The park is located near the northern end of the Sacramento Valley, near the cities of Redding and Susanville. It is located in portions of Shasta, Lassen, Plumas, and Tehama counties.

The western part of the park features great lava pinnacles (huge mountains created by lava flows), jagged craters, and steaming sulfur vents. It is cut by glaciated canyons and is dotted and threaded by lakes and rushing clear streams.

The eastern part of the park is a vast lava plateau more than one mile (1.6 km) above sea level. Here, small cinder cones are found (Fairfield Peak, Hat Mountain, and Crater Butte). [19] Forested with pine and fir, this area is studded with small lakes, but it boasts few streams. Warner Valley, marking the southern edge of the Lassen Plateau, features hot spring areas (Boiling Springs Lake, Devils Kitchen, and Terminal Geyser). [19] This forested, steep valley also has large meadows that have wildflowers in spring.

Lassen Peak is made of dacite, [20] an igneous rock, and is one of the world's largest plug dome volcanoes. It is also the southernmost non-extinct volcano of the Cascade Range (specifically, the Shasta Cascade part of the range). The 10,457 ft (3,187 m) tall volcano sits on the north-east flank of the remains of Mount Tehama, a stratovolcano that was a thousand feet (305 m) higher than Lassen and 11 to 15 mi (18 to 24 km) wide at its base. [8] After emptying its throat and partially doing the same to its magma chamber in a series of eruptions, Tehama either collapsed into itself and formed a two-mile (3.2 km) wide caldera in the late Pleistocene or was simply eroded away with the help of acidic vapors that loosened and broke the rock, which was later carried away by glaciers.

View of Cinder Cone from the Cinder Cone Trail that leads to it. The trees are Jeffrey pines (Pinus jeffreyi). Cinder Cone at Lassen Volcanic National Park.jpg
View of Cinder Cone from the Cinder Cone Trail that leads to it. The trees are Jeffrey pines (Pinus jeffreyi).

Sulphur Works is a geothermal area in between Lassen Peak and Brokeoff Mountain that is thought to mark an area near the center of Tehama's now-gone cone. Other geothermal areas in the caldera are Little Hot Springs Valley, Diamond Point (an old lava conduit), and Bumpass Hell (see Geothermal areas in Lassen Volcanic National Park).

The magma that fuels the volcanoes in the park is derived from subduction off the coast of Northern California. Cinder Cone and the Fantastic Lava Beds, located about 10 mi (16 km) northeast of Lassen Peak, is a cinder cone volcano and associated lava flow field that last erupted about 1650. It created a series of basaltic andesite to andesite lava flows known as the Fantastic Lava Beds.

There are four shield volcanoes in the park; Mount Harkness (southwest corner of the park), Red Mountain (at south-central boundary), Prospect Peak (in northeast corner), and Raker Peak (north of Lassen Peak). All of these volcanoes are 7,000–8,400 feet (2,133–2,560 m) above sea level and each is topped by a cinder cone volcano.

During ice ages, glaciers have modified and helped to erode the older volcanoes in the park. The center of snow accumulation and therefore ice radiation was Lassen Peak, Red Mountain, and Raker Peak. These volcanoes thus show more glacial scarring than other volcanoes in the park.

Despite not having any glaciers currently, Lassen Peak does have 14 permanent snowfields. [21]

USA Lassen NP Kings Creek CA edit3.jpg
Kings Creek with Lassen Peak on the horizon

Access

The park is accessible via State Routes 89 and 44. SR 89 passes north–south through the park, beginning at SR 36 to the south and ending at SR 44 to the north. SR 89 passes immediately adjacent to the base of Lassen Peak. There are five vehicle entrances to the park: the north and south entrances on SR 89; and unpaved roads entering at Drakesbad and Juniper Lake in the south, and at Butte Lake in the northeast. The park can also be accessed by trails leading in from the Caribou Wilderness to the east, as well as the Pacific Crest Trail, and two smaller trails leading in from Willow Lake and Little Willow Lake to the south.

The segment of SR 89 through the park is typically closed during the winter due to very heavy snowfall and snowpack. [22] [23]

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Lassen Volcanic National Park has a Mediterranean-influenced warm-summer Humid continental climate (Dsb). According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the Plant Hardiness zone at Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center at 6,736 ft (2,053 m) elevation is 6b with an average annual extreme minimum temperature of −0.2 °F (−17.9 °C). [24]

Since the entire park is located at medium to high elevations, the park generally has cool-cold winters and warm summers below 7,500 ft (2,286 m). Above this elevation, the climate is harsh and cold, with cool summer temperatures. Precipitation within the park is high to very high due to a lack of a rain shadow from the Coast Ranges. The park gets more precipitation than anywhere else in the Cascades south of the Three Sisters. Snowfall at the new visitor center near the southwest entrance at 6,700 ft (2,040 m) is around 430 in (1,090 cm) despite facing east. Up around Lake Helen, at 8,200 ft (2,499 m) the snowfall is around 600–700 in (1,520–1,780 cm), making it probably the snowiest place in California. In addition, Lake Helen gets more average snow accumulation than any other recording station located near a volcano in the Cascade range, with a maximum of 178 in (450 cm). [25] Snowbanks persist year-round.

Climate data for Manzanita Lake, elevation: 5,863 ft (1,787 m)
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °F (°C)66
(19)
68
(20)
71
(22)
78
(26)
88
(31)
93
(34)
97
(36)
96
(36)
96
(36)
88
(31)
78
(26)
68
(20)
97
(36)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)41.0
(5.0)
42.7
(5.9)
44.9
(7.2)
51.2
(10.7)
60.6
(15.9)
69.9
(21.1)
79.1
(26.2)
77.6
(25.3)
71.8
(22.1)
60.5
(15.8)
47.2
(8.4)
41.9
(5.5)
57.4
(14.1)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)20.2
(−6.6)
20.9
(−6.2)
23.1
(−4.9)
27.6
(−2.4)
34.5
(1.4)
40.9
(4.9)
45.6
(7.6)
44.1
(6.7)
40.5
(4.7)
33.9
(1.1)
26.7
(−2.9)
22.1
(−5.5)
31.7
(−0.2)
Record low °F (°C)−13
(−25)
−11
(−24)
−7
(−22)
−2
(−19)
11
(−12)
20
(−7)
30
(−1)
28
(−2)
22
(−6)
10
(−12)
2
(−17)
−13
(−25)
−13
(−25)
Average precipitation inches (mm)6.28
(160)
5.19
(132)
5.26
(134)
3.55
(90)
2.80
(71)
1.59
(40)
0.36
(9.1)
0.57
(14)
1.22
(31)
2.97
(75)
5.17
(131)
5.74
(146)
40.7
(1,033.1)
Average snowfall inches (cm)36.5
(93)
33.9
(86)
34.9
(89)
22.8
(58)
7.5
(19)
1.2
(3.0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0.3
(0.76)
3.1
(7.9)
18.2
(46)
31.0
(79)
189.4
(481.66)
Source: Western Regional Climate Center [26]
Climate data for Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center, elevation: 6,867 ft (2,093 m)
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)38.4
(3.6)
39.9
(4.4)
43.6
(6.4)
50.8
(10.4)
58.5
(14.7)
67.5
(19.7)
74.8
(23.8)
74.4
(23.6)
68.2
(20.1)
57.0
(13.9)
44.4
(6.9)
37.3
(2.9)
54.6
(12.6)
Daily mean °F (°C)30.0
(−1.1)
30.6
(−0.8)
33.6
(0.9)
38.9
(3.8)
46.3
(7.9)
53.9
(12.2)
61.5
(16.4)
60.4
(15.8)
55.5
(13.1)
45.5
(7.5)
35.2
(1.8)
29.6
(−1.3)
43.5
(6.4)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)21.7
(−5.7)
21.4
(−5.9)
23.5
(−4.7)
27.0
(−2.8)
34.1
(1.2)
40.2
(4.6)
48.1
(8.9)
46.3
(7.9)
42.7
(5.9)
34.0
(1.1)
26.0
(−3.3)
21.9
(−5.6)
32.3
(0.2)
Average precipitation inches (mm)16.19
(411)
12.94
(329)
13.60
(345)
7.99
(203)
5.37
(136)
2.93
(74)
0.71
(18)
0.98
(25)
2.24
(57)
6.49
(165)
14.52
(369)
17.83
(453)
101.79
(2,585)
Average relative humidity (%)69.468.364.261.353.245.837.933.634.649.766.170.054.4
Source: PRISM Climate Group [27]

Plants

According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. Potential natural vegetation Types, Lassen Volcanic National Park has a red fir, Abies magnifica (7) potential vegetation type with a California Conifer Forest (2) potential vegetation form. [28]

Lying at the northern end of the Sierra Nevada forests ecoregion, Lassen Volcanic National Park preserves a landscape nearly as it existed before Euro-American settlement: its 27,130 acres (10,980 ha) of old growth include all of its major forest types. [29] [30]

At elevations below 6,500 feet the dominant vegetation community is the mixed conifer forest. ponderosa and Jeffrey pines, sugar pine, and white fir form the forest canopy for this rich community that also includes species of manzanita, gooseberry, and Ceanothus . Common wildflowers include iris, spotted coralroot, pyrola, violets, and lupin. [31]

Above the mixed-conifer forest is the major community of the red fir forest. Between elevations of 6,500 and 8,000 feet, red fir, western white pine, mountain hemlock, and lodgepole pine dominate a community less diverse than the mixed-conifer forest. Common plants include satin lupine, woolly mule's-ears and pinemat manzanita. [31]

Subalpine areas include the upper limit for the growth of standing trees. From 8,000 feet to treeline, plants are fewer in overall number with exposed patches of bare ground providing a harsh environment. Rock spirea, lupin, Indian paintbrush, and penstemon are a few of the rugged members of this community. Trees in this community include whitebark pine and mountain hemlock. [31]

Wildlife

A golden-mantled ground squirrel eating foraged food near the southern entrance Least Chipmunk Lassen Park.jpg
A golden-mantled ground squirrel eating foraged food near the southern entrance

Species that are typically found in these forested areas are black bear, red fox, mule deer, marten, cougar, brown creeper, a variety of chipmunk species, raccoon, mountain chickadee, pika, a variety of squirrel species, white-headed woodpecker, coyote, bobcat, weasel, a variety of mouse species, long-toed salamander, skunk, and a wide variety of bat species. [32] Areas such as Reflection Lake attract waterfowl, including Canada geese, great blue heron, snowy egret, and kingfisher. [33]

Lassen Volcanic Park is home to the Sierra Nevada red fox in particular, one of the rarest mammals in California. 20 individuals have been identified in the park, making it the largest known Sierra Nevada red fox population. [34]

A repopulation of wolves in California began in late December 2011. A northwestern wolf pack originally from Oregon known as the Lassen Pack inhabits the forest surrounding this national park. Other residential California wolves are the Beckwourth and Whaleback packs. [35] The Shasta pack, which formerly was in the forest near this park, no longer appears to be extant. [36]

Geology

Lassen Peak from the summit of Brokeoff Mountain. Photo shows 1915 tongue of lava and Vulcan's Eye. Lassen Peak from the summit of Brokeoff Mountain-1200px.jpg
Lassen Peak from the summit of Brokeoff Mountain. Photo shows 1915 tongue of lava and Vulcan's Eye.

Formation of basement rocks

Thermal vents at Sulphur Works Lassen.JPG
Thermal vents at Sulphur Works

In the Cenozoic, uplifting and westward tilting of the Sierra Nevada along with extensive volcanism generated huge lahars (volcanic-derived mud flows) in the Pliocene which became the Tuscan Formation. This formation is not exposed anywhere in the national park but it is just below the surface in many areas.

Also in the Pliocene, basaltic flows erupted from vents and fissures in the southern part of the park. These and later flows covered increasingly large areas and built a lava plateau. In the later Pliocene and into the Pleistocene, these basaltic flows were covered by successive thick and fluid flows of andesite lava, which geologists call the Juniper lavas and the Twin Lakes lavas. The Twin Lakes lava is black, porphyritic and has abundant xenocrysts of quartz (see Cinder Cone).

Another group of andesite lava flows called the Flatiron, erupted during this time and covered the southwestern part of the park's area. The park by this time was a relatively featureless and large lava plain. Subsequently, the Eastern basalt flows erupted along the eastern boundary of what is now the park, forming low hills that were later eroded into rugged terrain.

Volcanoes rise

Lassen Peak eruption from Reflection Lake, 1915 Lassen Peak eruption (8436320582).jpg
Lassen Peak eruption from Reflection Lake, 1915

Pyroclastic eruptions then started to pile tephra into cones in the northern area of the park.

Mount Tehama (also known as Brokeoff Volcano) rose as a stratovolcano in the southwestern corner of the park during the Pleistocene. It was made of roughly alternating layers of andesitic lavas and tephra (volcanic ash, breccia, and pumice) with increasing amounts of tephra with elevation. At its height, Tehama was probably about 11,000 ft (3,400 m) high.

Approximately 350,000 years ago its cone collapsed into itself and formed a two-mile (3.2 km) wide caldera after it emptied its throat and partially did the same to its magma chamber in a series of eruptions. One of these eruptions occurred where Lassen Peak now stands, and consisted of fluid, black, glassy dacite, which formed a layer 1,500 ft (460 m) thick (outcroppings of which can be seen as columnar rock at Lassen's base).

During glacial periods (ice ages) of the present Wisconsinan glaciation, glaciers have modified and helped to erode the older volcanoes in the park, including the remains of Tehama. Many of these glacial features, deposits and scars, however, have been covered up by tephra and avalanches, or were destroyed by eruptions.

Roughly 27,000 years ago (older data gave an age of 18,000 years), Lassen Peak started to form as a dacite lava dome quickly pushed its way through Tehama's former north-eastern flank. As the lava dome pushed its way up, it shattered overlaying rock, which formed a blanket of talus around the emerging volcano. Lassen rose and reached its present height in a relatively short time, probably in as little as a few years. Lassen Peak has also been partially eroded by Ice Age glaciers, at least one of which extended as much as 7 mi (11 km) from the volcano itself.

Since then, smaller dacite domes formed around Lassen. The largest of these, Chaos Crags, is just north of Lassen Peak. Phreatic (steam explosion) eruptions, dacite and andesite lava flows and cinder cone formation have persisted into modern times.

BumpassHellPanoCropped.jpg
Bumpass Hell contains boiling springs, mudpots, and fumaroles

There are active hot springs and mud pots in the Lassen area. Some of these springs are the site of occurrence of certain extremophile micro-organisms, that are capable of surviving in extremely hot environments. [37]

See also

Footnotes

  1. "Listing of acreage – December 31, 2011" (XLSX). Land Resource Division, National Park Service. Retrieved March 7, 2012. (National Park Service Acreage Reports)
  2. "NPS Annual Recreation Visits Report". National Park Service. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
  3. Topinka, Topink (May 11, 2005). "Lassen Peak Volcano, California". United States Geological Survey. Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
  4. "HOTSPOT: California On The Edge: Cascade Range Volcanoes". California Academy of Sciencies. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
  5. Lynch, David K. "Volcanoes and their relationship to plate tectonics". SanAndreasFault.org. Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
  6. Clynne, Michael A; Janik, Cathy J; Muffler, LJP. "Hot Water in Lassen Volcanic National Park: Fumaroles, Steaming Ground, and Boiling Mudpots" (PDF). United States Geological Survey. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 30, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
  7. Lee, Robert F (2001). "The Story of the Antiquities Act". Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2012. Chapter 8: The Proclamation of National Monuments Under the Antiquities Act, 1906–1970
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Geology of National Parks, pp. 542–46.
  9. Geology of U.S. Parklands, p. 154.
  10. "NPS 2003 General Management Plan, Wilderness Zone" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on June 1, 2009. Retrieved September 4, 2009.
  11. USGS: Volcano Hazards of the Lassen Volcanic National Park Area, California
  12. 1 2 Darling, Dylan (May 30, 2006). "Lassen visitors center in the works". Record Searchlight. p. 9. Retrieved November 5, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  13. 1 2 Darling, Dylan (September 26, 2008). "New, year-round visitor center to have grand opening Oct. 4". Record Searchlight. Retrieved November 5, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  14. SFGATE, Ashley Harrell (August 18, 2021). "More than a third of beloved Calif. national park torched by fire". SFGATE. Archived from the original on August 19, 2021. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  15. "Dixie Fire - Lassen Volcanic National Park (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. July 26, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  16. "Visiting After the Dixie Fire - Lassen Volcanic National Park (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. July 26, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  17. "Lassen Volcanic NP". National Park Service Public Use Statistics Office. Archived from the original on December 12, 2012. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
  18. "Public Use Reporting and Counting Instructions". Archived from the original on April 8, 2013. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
  19. 1 2 "Geology Fieldnotes for Lassen Volcanic National Park California". Archived from the original on June 13, 2011. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
  20. MacDonald, Gordon A.; Katsura, Takashi (1965). "Eruption of Lassen Peak, Cascade Range, California, in 1915: Example of Mixed Magmas". Geological Society of America Bulletin. 76 (5): 475–481. doi:10.1130/0016-7606(1965)76[475:EOLPCR]2.0.CO;2.
  21. "Glaciers Online". Archived from the original on March 5, 2007.
  22. "Winter Driving Tips". Caltrans. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  23. "Lassen Volcanic National Park Alerts & Conditions". National Park Service. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  24. "USDA Interactive Plant Hardiness Map". United States Department of Agriculture. Archived from the original on July 4, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  25. "Cascade Snow". Skimountaineer.com. Archived from the original on May 25, 2006. Retrieved August 4, 2012.
  26. "MANZANITA LAKE, CALIFORNIA - Climate Summary". Western Regional Climate Center. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  27. "PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University". www.prism.oregonstate.edu. Archived from the original on July 25, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  28. "U.S. Potential Natural Vegetation, Original Kuchler Types, v2.0 (Spatially Adjusted to Correct Geometric Distortions)". Data Basin. Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  29. Franklin, Jerry, F; Fites-Kaufmann, Jo Ann (1996). "Status of the Sierra Nevada, Ch. 21" (III: Biological and Physical Elements of the Sierra Nevada ed.). Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project. Final Report to Congress: 627–671. Archived from the original on December 12, 2012. Retrieved January 13, 2009.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  30. Bolsinger, Charles L.; Waddell, Karen L. (1993). "Area of old-growth forests in California, Oregon, and Washington" (PDF). United States Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. Resource Bulletin PNW-RB-197. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 23, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2009.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  31. 1 2 3 "Plants". United States National Park Service: Lassen Volcanic National Park. Archived from the original on November 5, 2008. Retrieved January 13, 2009.
  32. Sahagunu, Louis (July 5, 2019). "A deadly fungus is killing millions of bats in the U.S. Now it's in California". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on July 7, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  33. PD-icon.svg This article incorporates public domain material from Reflection Lake. National Park Service . Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  34. "Lassen Volcanic Guide" (PDF). NPS. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  35. "Lassen Pack". Lassen Pack. Archived from the original on July 20, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  36. Bahouth, Brian (June 30, 2021). "California is home to a new pack of wolves". Sierra Nevada Ally. Archived from the original on June 30, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  37. C.Michael Hogan. 2010. Extremophile Archived May 11, 2013, at the Wayback Machine . eds. E.Monosson and C.Cleveland. Encyclopedia of Earth. National Council for Science and the Environment, Washington DC

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lava Beds National Monument</span> National monument in California, United States

Lava Beds National Monument is located in northeastern California, in Siskiyou and Modoc counties. The monument lies on the northeastern flank of Medicine Lake Volcano, which is the largest volcano by area in the Cascade Range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Bachelor</span> Dormant stratovolcano in Oregon, United States

Mount Bachelor, formerly named Bachelor Butte, is a dormant stratovolcano atop a shield volcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc and the Cascade Range of central Oregon. Named Mount Bachelor because it stands apart from the nearby Three Sisters, it lies in the eastern segment of the central portion of the High Cascades, the eastern segment of the Cascade Range. The volcano lies at the northern end of the 15-mile (24 km) long Mount Bachelor Volcanic Chain, which underwent four major eruptive episodes during the Pleistocene and the Holocene. The United States Geological Survey considers Mount Bachelor a moderate threat, but Bachelor poses little threat of becoming an active volcano in the near future. It remains unclear whether the volcano is extinct or just inactive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mono–Inyo Craters</span> Volcanic chain in eastern California, United States

The Mono–Inyo Craters are a volcanic chain of craters, domes and lava flows in Mono County, Eastern California. The chain stretches 25 miles (40 km) from the northwest shore of Mono Lake to the south of Mammoth Mountain. The Mono Lake Volcanic Field forms the northernmost part of the chain and consists of two volcanic islands in the lake and one cinder cone volcano on its northwest shore. Most of the Mono Craters, which make up the bulk of the northern part of the Mono–Inyo chain, are phreatic volcanoes that have since been either plugged or over-topped by rhyolite domes and lava flows. The Inyo volcanic chain form much of the southern part of the chain and consist of phreatic explosion pits, and rhyolitic lava flows and domes. The southernmost part of the chain consists of fumaroles and explosion pits on Mammoth Mountain and a set of cinder cones south of the mountain; the latter are called the Red Cones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geology of the Lassen volcanic area</span> Geology of a U.S. national park in California

The Lassen volcanic area presents a geological record of sedimentation and volcanic activity in and around Lassen Volcanic National Park in Northern California, U.S. The park is located in the southernmost part of the Cascade Mountain Range in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Pacific Oceanic tectonic plates have plunged below the North American Plate in this part of North America for hundreds of millions of years. Heat and molten rock from these subducting plates has fed scores of volcanoes in California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia over at least the past 30 million years, including these in the Lassen volcanic areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lassen Peak</span> Active volcano in California, United States

Lassen Peak, commonly referred to as Mount Lassen, is a lava dome volcano and the southernmost active volcano in the Cascade Range of the Western United States. Located in the Shasta Cascade region of Northern California, it is part of the Cascade Volcanic Arc, which stretches from southwestern British Columbia to northern California. Lassen Peak reaches an elevation of 10,457 ft (3,187 m), standing above the northern Sacramento Valley. It supports many flora and fauna among its diverse habitats, which are subject to frequent snowfall and reach high elevations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chaos Crags</span> Mountain in the Cascade range in California

Chaos Crags is the youngest group of lava domes in Lassen Volcanic National Park, California. They formed as six dacite domes 1,100-1,000 years ago, one dome collapsing during an explosive eruption about 70 years later. The eruptions at the Chaos Crags mark one of just three instances of Holocene activity within the Lassen volcanic center. The cluster of domes is located north of Lassen Peak and form part of the southernmost segment of the Cascade Range in Northern California. Each year, a lake forms at the base of the Crags, and typically dries by the end of the summer season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinder Cone and the Fantastic Lava Beds</span> Cinder cone in California, U.S.

Cinder Cone is a cinder cone volcano in Lassen Volcanic National Park within the United States. It is located about 10 mi (16 km) northeast of Lassen Peak and provides an excellent view of Brokeoff Mountain, Lassen Peak, and Chaos Crags.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newberry Volcano</span> Shield volcano in Oregon, United States

Newberry Volcano is a large active shield-shaped stratovolcano located about 20 miles (32 km) south of Bend, Oregon, United States, 35 miles (56 km) east of the major crest of the Cascade Range, within the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. Its highest point is Paulina Peak. The largest volcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc, Newberry has an area of 1,200 square miles (3,100 km2) when its lava flows are taken into account. From north to south, the volcano has a length of 75 miles (121 km), with a width of 27 miles (43 km) and a total volume of approximately 120 cubic miles (500 km3). It was named for the geologist and surgeon John Strong Newberry, who explored central Oregon for the Pacific Railroad Surveys in 1855.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Jefferson (Oregon)</span> Stratovolcano in the Cascade Range, Oregon, US

Mount Jefferson is a stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc, part of the Cascade Range in the U.S. state of Oregon. The second highest mountain in Oregon, it is situated within Linn County, Jefferson County, and Marion County and forms part of the Mount Jefferson Wilderness. Due to the ruggedness of its surroundings, the mountain is one of the hardest volcanoes to reach in the Cascades. It is also a popular tourist destination despite its remoteness, with recreational activities including hiking, backpacking, mountaineering, and photography. Vegetation at Mount Jefferson is dominated by Douglas fir, silver fir, mountain hemlock, ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine, and several cedar species. Carnivores, insectivores, bats, rodents, deer, birds, and various other species inhabit the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Thielsen</span> Extinct shield volcano in Oregon

Mount Thielsen, or Big Cowhorn, is an extinct shield volcano in the Oregon High Cascades, near Mount Bailey. Because eruptive activity ceased 250,000 years ago, glaciers have heavily eroded the volcano's structure, creating precipitous slopes and a horn-like peak. The spire-like shape of Thielsen attracts lightning strikes and creates fulgurite, an unusual mineral. The prominent horn forms a centerpiece for the Mount Thielsen Wilderness, a reserve for recreational activities such as skiing and hiking. Thielson is one of Oregon's Matterhorns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Mazama</span> Complex volcano in the Cascade Range

Mount Mazama is a complex volcano in the western U.S. state of Oregon, in a segment of the Cascade Volcanic Arc and Cascade Range. Most of the mountain collapsed following a major eruption approximately 7,700 years ago. The volcano is in Klamath County, in the southern Cascades, 60 miles (97 km) north of the Oregon–California border. Its collapse, due to the eruption of magma emptying the underlying magma chamber, formed a caldera that holds Crater Lake. Mount Mazama originally had an elevation of 12,000 feet (3,700 m), but following its climactic eruption this was reduced to 8,157 feet (2,486 m). Crater Lake is 1,943 feet (592 m) deep, the deepest freshwater body in the U.S. and the second deepest in North America after Great Slave Lake in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medicine Lake Volcano</span> Shield volcano in northeastern California, United States

Medicine Lake Volcano is a large shield volcano in northeastern California about 30 mi (50 km) northeast of Mount Shasta. The volcano is located in a zone of east-west crustal extension east of the main axis of the Cascade Volcanic Arc and the Cascade Range. The 0.6 mi (1 km) thick shield is 22 mi (35 km) from east to west and 28 to 31 mi from north to south, and covers more than 770 sq mi (2,000 km2). The underlying rock has downwarped by 0.3 mi (0.5 km) under the center of the volcano. The volcano is primarily composed of basalt and basaltic andesite lava flows, and has a 4.3 by 7.5 mi caldera at the center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Tehama</span> Eroded Andesitic stratovolcano in Northern California

Mount Tehama is an eroded andesitic stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc and the Cascade Range in Northern California. Part of the Lassen volcanic area, its tallest remnant, Brokeoff Mountain, is itself the second highest peak in Lassen Volcanic National Park and connects to the park's highest point, Lassen Peak. Located on the border of Tehama County and Shasta County, Brokeoff's peak is the highest point in the former. The hikers that summit this mountain each year are treated to "exceptional" views of Lassen Peak, the Central Valley of California, and many of the park's other features. On clear days, Mount Shasta can also be seen in the distance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lava Butte</span> Cinder cone in central Oregon, United States

Lava Butte is a cinder cone in central Oregon, United States, just west of U.S. Route 97 between the towns of Bend, and Sunriver in Deschutes County. It is part of a system of small cinder cones on the northwest flank of Newberry Volcano, a massive shield volcano which rises to the southeast. The cinder cone is capped by a crater which extends about 60 feet (20 m) deep beneath its south rim, and 160 feet (50 m) deep from the 5,020-foot (1,530 m) summit on its north side. Lava Butte is part of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cascade Volcanoes</span> Chain of stratovolcanoes in western North America

The Cascade Volcanoes are a number of volcanoes in a volcanic arc in western North America, extending from southwestern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California, a distance of well over 700 miles (1,100 km). The arc formed due to subduction along the Cascadia subduction zone. Although taking its name from the Cascade Range, this term is a geologic grouping rather than a geographic one, and the Cascade Volcanoes extend north into the Coast Mountains, past the Fraser River which is the northward limit of the Cascade Range proper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Crater</span> Lava dome in Washington, United States

West Crater is a small lava dome with associated lava flows in southern Washington, United States. Located in Skamania County, it rises to an elevation of 4,131 feet (1,259 m), and forms part of the Cascade Volcanic Arc. It is also part of the Marble Mountain-Trout Creek Hill volcanic field, a little-known Quaternary volcanic field in the southern Cascades of Washington state. The area can be hiked, and can be accessed by roads in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twin Buttes (California)</span> Group of volcanic cinder cones in Shasta County, California, United States

The Twin Buttes are two volcanic cinder cones located in the Cascade Mountain Range in Shasta County, California. They are part of the Bidwell Spring chain and lie within a region that was active in the Quaternary. Formed during the Pleistocene between 25,000 and 15,000 years ago, the volcanoes erupted lava flows that coursed toward the Burney Mountain lava dome. These lava flows cover an area of 3.9 square miles (10.1 km2) and are made of basalt and dacite. The volcanoes also erupted cinder and volcanic ash that reached eastward.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butte Lake (California)</span> Lake in the state of California, United States

Butte Lake is a lake located in the northeast section of Lassen Volcanic National Park in the U.S. state of California at an elevation of 6,053 ft (1,845 m).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Cascade Arc</span> Canadian segment of the North American Cascade Volcanic Arc

The Canadian Cascade Arc, also called the Canadian Cascades, is the Canadian segment of the North American Cascade Volcanic Arc. Located entirely within the Canadian province of British Columbia, it extends from the Cascade Mountains in the south to the Coast Mountains in the north. Specifically, the southern end of the Canadian Cascades begin at the Canada–United States border. However, the specific boundaries of the northern end are not precisely known and the geology in this part of the volcanic arc is poorly understood. It is widely accepted by geologists that the Canadian Cascade Arc extends through the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains. However, others have expressed concern that the volcanic arc possibly extends further north into the Kitimat Ranges, another subdivision of the Coast Mountains, and even as far north as Haida Gwaii.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devastation Trail</span> Trail in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park


Devastation Trail is a trail in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. The paved trail allows visitors to explore the site of 1959 eruption of Kīlauea Iki crater.

References

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Park Service .