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Mono–Inyo Craters

July 19, 2023

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 (steam explosion) 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.

Mono–Inyo Craters
Annotated satellite image of the chain
Highest point
PeakCrater Mountain[1][note 1]
Elevation9,172 ft (2,796 m)
Coordinates37°52′40″N 119°0′25″W / 37.87778°N 119.00694°W / 37.87778; -119.00694
Dimensions
Length25 mi (40 km)
Geography
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
RegionEastern California
CountyMono
TownMammoth Lakes, California
Range coordinates37°53′N 119°0′W / 37.883°N 119.000°W / 37.883; -119.000
Geology
Age of rockAbout 40,000 years[6]
Type of rockLava domes,[4]cinder cones[5]

Eruptions along the narrow fissure system under the chain began in the west moat of Long Valley Caldera 400,000 to 60,000 years ago. Mammoth Mountain was formed during this period. Multiple eruptions from 40,000 to 600 years ago created the Mono Craters and eruptions 5,000 to 500 years ago formed the Inyo volcanic chain. Lava flows 5,000 years ago built the Red Cones, and explosion pits on Mammoth Mountain were excavated in the last 1,000 years. Uplift of Paoha Island in Mono Lake about 250 years ago is the most recent activity. These eruptions most likely originated from small magma bodies rather than from a single, large magma chamber like the one that produced the massive Long Valley Caldera eruption 760,000 years ago. During the past 3,000 years, eruptions have occurred every 250 to 700 years. In 1980, a series of earthquakes and uplift within and south of Long Valley Caldera indicated renewed activity in the area.

The region has been used by humans for centuries. Obsidian was collected by Mono Paiutes for making sharp tools and arrow points. Glassy rock continues to be removed in modern times for use as commercial scour and yard decoration. Mono Mills processed timber felled on or near the volcanoes for the nearby boomtown Bodie in the late 19th to early 20th centuries. Water diversions into the Los Angeles Aqueduct system from their natural outlets in Mono Lake started in 1941 after a water tunnel was cut under the Mono Craters. Mono Lake Volcanic Field and a large part of the Mono Craters gained some protection under Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area in 1984. Resource use along all of the chain is managed by the United States Forest Service as part of Inyo National Forest. Various activities are possible along the chain, including hiking, bird watching, canoeing, skiing, and mountain biking.

Geography and description

 
Mono Craters
 
The Mono Craters form an arc of overlapping lava domes and flows.
 
The Inyo Craters are a set of explosion pits.

Setting

The Mono–Inyo Craters form a volcanic chain in Eastern California that sits along a narrow north–south-trending fissure system extending from the north shore of Mono Lake through the western Long Valley Caldera, south of Mammoth Mountain.[7] The chain is within the Inyo National Forest and Mono County; the nearest incorporated community is Mammoth Lakes. The craters are in the Great Basin geographic area.

Mono Craters

The Mono Craters are a 10.5-mile (17 km) chain of at least 27 volcanic domes, three large glass flows called coulees and various explosion pits and other associated volcanic features.[8]: 289  The domes of the chain lie on a roughly north–south-trending arc that is concave to the west and located south of Mono Lake.[9] The highest of the Mono Craters domes is Crater Mountain (elevation 9,172 feet or 2,796 m), which rises 2,400 feet (730 m) above Pumice Valley to the west.[8]: 290  Associated volcanic features are located in Mono Lake (Paoha and Negit Islands) and on its north shore (Black Point). The coulees cluster north and south of the overlapping chain of domes.[8]: 290 

Inyo volcanic chain

 
Photo from the edge of southernmost of the Inyo craters.

The Inyo volcanic chain stretches 6 miles (10 km) from Wilson Butte to the Inyo Craters, proper.[10] The Inyo Craters are open pits in a forested area that are about 600 feet (180 m) across and 100 to 200 feet (30 to 60 m) deep, each with small ponds covering their floors.[8]: 252  A quarter mile (half kilometer) north of these is another explosion pit on top of Deer Mountain.[11] Farther north of these craters are five lava domes, including Deadman Creek Dome, Glass Creek Dome, Obsidian Dome, and Wilson Butte.[11] These domes are composed of gray rhyolite, frothy pumice, and black obsidian. The Inyo volcanic chain extends into Long Valley Caldera but is not related to the caldera's volcanism.[8]: 290 

Red Cones

South of the Inyo volcanic chain are other features related to the dike system responsible for creating the craters, volcanoes and lava flows. These include a north–south trend of fault scarps up to 20 feet (6 m) high and pull-apart cracks or fissures in the earth.[8]: 253  These fissures are not technically faults because little or no vertical or horizontal movement has occurred along them.[8]: 254  Most notable among these is "Earthquake Fault", a fissure up to 10 feet (3 m) wide that cuts 60 to 70 feet (18 to 21 m) into glassy rhyolite lava flows. The fissure was formed by stretching induced by the intrusion of the Inyo dike.[8]: 253  Stairs to the bottom of the fissure were removed after being damaged by earthquakes in 1980.[8]: 253  Several Mono–Inyo-related explosion pits are on Mammoth Mountain.[2] The Red Cones, south of Mammoth Mountain, are basaltic cinder cones and are the southernmost part of the Mono–Inyo Craters volcanic chain.[2][12]

Climate and ecology

The Mono–Inyo Craters are in the Central Basin and Range ecoregion of the North American Desert. The desert environment of Mono Basin receives about 14 inches (36 cm) of precipitation a year.[13] Annual precipitation around Mammoth Lakes, which is close to the Inyo volcanic chain, is about 23 inches (58 cm).[14] Moisture travels over the Sierra crest from the Pacific Ocean through the San Joaquin Gap.[15]: 30  Temperatures in Mono Basin range from average winter lows of 20 to 28 °F (−7 to −2 °C) to average summer highs of 75 to 84 °F (24 to 29 °C).[13] Temperatures near the Inyo volcanic chain and Mammoth Lakes area range from winter average lows of 16 to 21 °F (−9 to −6 °C) to summer average highs of 70 to 78 °F (21 to 26 °C).[14]

Most of the surface of the Mono Craters is barren but its slopes are covered by Jeffrey pine forest and partial greenery.[15]: 4  Pumice Valley, directly to the west, is covered by sagebrush scrubland.[15]: 4  The soil consists primarily of deep pumice, which does not hold water well.[15]: 30  Mycorrhizal fungi in the soil invade the roots of Jeffrey pine trees in a symbiotic relationship that helps the pine absorb water and provides nutrients to the fungi.[15]: 30  Jeffrey pine forests also surround the Inyo volcanic chain[16] and Mammoth Mountain.[17] Mule deer, coyotes, black bears, yellow-bellied marmots, raccoons and mountain lions all have ranges that are coincident with forests that cover parts of the Mono–Inyo craters.[18]

Typical evolution

 
Aerial photo of Panum Crater

Panum Crater is the northernmost volcano in the sequence and is a good example of both a tuff ring and a rhyolite dome. Its structure is twofold; an outer tuff ring (forming a classic crater) and an inner plug, or dome of rhyolite, pumice and obsidian created from lavas.[19]: 137  In this case, heat from the magma feeding Panum flashed groundwater to steam to create the tuff ring before lava reached the surface. Other Mono Craters also were formed in this manner, but their plug domes grew larger than their tuff ring craters. The domes have steep sides and are flanked by slopes of scree consisting of large angular and glass-rich rocks.[8]: 291  Devil's Punch Bowl, located south of the main dome complex, stopped forming at an earlier stage of development. It is a 1,200-foot (370 m) wide and 140-foot (43 m) deep explosion pit with a much smaller glass dome on its floor.[8]: 291 

The large North and South Coulee and the smaller Northwest Coulee consist of obsidian-rich rhyolite. They were formed from slow-moving lava that had a thin and brittle crust.[8]: 294  Once the flow stopped, it formed steep sided tongues of sharp and angular rock that are typically 200 to 300 feet (60 to 90 m) thick and have scree piles along their base.[8]: 294  South Coulee is 2.25 miles (3.6 km) long, 0.75 miles (1.2 km) wide and has a volume of 0.1 cubic miles (0.4 km3); making it the largest Mono Craters coulee in volume.[8]: 294–295  South Coulee originates from the crest of the Mono Domes, about 3 miles (5 km) from the southern end, flows down its east and west flanks and terminates at its foot.[8]: 294  North Coulee is nearly as large, flows mostly to the east and terminates in a divided pair of lobes. Northwest Coulee is located northwest of North Coulee and was intruded by Upper Dome after the coulee solidified.[8]: 295  Permanent pockets of ice from snowmelt have been found 75 to 147 feet (23 to 45 m) inside the coulees and domes.[8]: 295 

Geology

Background

 
Hand samples of the Bishop Tuff, normal with pumice on left, compressed with fiamme on right.

The Mono–Inyo chain of craters lies in east-central California, roughly parallel to the eastern escarpment of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Volcanism and seismic activity in eastern California are a result of two major geologic processes: northwest movement of the Pacific Plate with respect to the North American Plate along the San Andreas Fault system near the coast, and east–west extension of the crust that formed the Basin and Range Province.[20]: 21–22  In the Long Valley region, where the craters are located, basin and range extension encroaches onto the thick and stable crust of the Sierra Nevada.[21]

 
Geologic map of the area.

Basement rock under the Mono–Inyo chain consists of the same granitic and metamorphic rock that make up the Sierra Nevada. Above that layer are basaltic grading to rhyolitic volcanic rocks that are 3.5 million to less than 760,000 years old.[8]: 290  Volcanism occurred north of the chain, in the Bodie Hills, as far back as 28 million years.[22]: 44  Nearly all the rock east of the Sierra Nevada in the Mono Basin area is volcanic in origin.[23]: 371 

Volcanoes erupted from 3.6 to 2.3 million years ago near what is now Long Valley.[24]: 270  Rhyolitic eruptions occurred in and around Glass Mountain in the same area from 2.1 to 0.8 million years ago.[25] Volcanic ash from the massive (600 cubic kilometres or 140 cubic miles of ejecta) eruption of Long Valley Caldera some 760,000 years ago is preserved in the thick Bishop Tuff that covers much of the region.

Eruptions of basalt and andesite 400,000 to 60,000 years ago in the west moat of Long Valley Caldera were the first activity associated with the Mono–Inyo Craters system.[7] Eruptions around 300,000 years ago filled the west moat with 800 feet (240 m) of basaltic lava.[24]: 276  Basaltic and andesitic eruptive activity then moved to Mono Basin and lasted from 40,000 to 13,000 years ago.[7]

Seismic data indicate that a magma chamber with an estimated volume of 48 to 144 cubic miles (200 to 600 km3) exists 5.0 to 6.2 miles (8 to 10 km) directly below the Mono Craters.[26][27]: 231  About 660 feet (200 m) of subsidence has occurred within a ring fracture system centered on Pumice Valley west of the chamber in the last 700,000 years.[27]: 231  The Mono Craters sit atop a 7.5-mile (12 km)-long arc on the eastern side of the 11-mile (18 km)-wide ring-fracture system.[27]: 231  Magma feeding the domes may have exploited arc-shaped fissures around an intrusion of granitic rock deep below the chain.[8]: 289  This magma chamber is separate from the magma chamber under Long Valley Caldera.[21] The recent eruptions of the Mono Craters have been similar in volume and nearly identical in composition ("crystal-poor high-silica rhyolite") to those of Glass Mountain that preceded the Long Valley Caldera-forming eruption.[10] It has been suggested that the Mono Craters volcanism may represent an early stage in the development of a future caldera.[27]: 231,  [28]: 55,  [29]

Repeated eruption of dacite and rhyodacite from vents on the southwest rim of the caldera from 220,000 to 50,000 years ago formed Mammoth Mountain, a volcano composed of overlapping lava domes.[24]: 277  Eruptions of dacite and rhyodacite occurred in Mono Basin from 100,000 to 6,000 years ago.[7]

Mono Craters, Negit Island and Black Point

 
Eruptions in the last 5,000 years along the Mono–Inyo chain

Multiple eruptions of silica-rich rhyolite from 40,000 to 600 years ago built the Mono Craters.[20]: 24  Black Point, today on the north shore of Mono Lake, is a flattened volcanic cone of basaltic debris that formed under the surface of a much deeper Mono Lake about 13,300 years ago, during the most-recent glacial period.[22]: 53  Several eruptive episodes from 1,600 to 270 years before present in Mono Lake formed Negit Island.[22]: 54  The magma reservoir feeding the Mono Lake Volcanic Field is unrelated to the Mono Craters magma reservoir.[10]

Basaltic andesite lava built the Red Cones, two small cinder cones 6.2 miles (10 km) southwest of Mammoth Lakes, around 8,500 before present.[30] The five Mammoth Mountain Craters are a set of explosion pits that trend west-north-west for 1.6 miles (2.5 km) near the northern flank of Mammoth Mountain.[30]

None of the Mono Craters near the lake show the effects of wave erosion, but a hill at the southern end of the field shows what Israel Russell called a "beach line".[23]: 384  The present elevation of this beach line is the level of the Mono Lake high stand before the formation of the northern Mono Craters,[23]: 384  plus any surface deformation that has happened since that time. Stream-rounded stones are found on the volcanoes, and were lifted up as the volcanoes grew.[23]: 388  Although glaciers were present throughout the Sierra Nevada, they did not reach as far down as the Mono Craters.

The most recent eruptive episode on the Mono Craters occurred sometime between the years 1325 and 1365.[31][32] A vertical sheet-like mass of magma, called a dike, caused groundwater to explosively flash to steam, creating a line of vents 4 miles (6 km) long.[33]: 67  A mix of ash and pulverized rock, called tephra, covered about 3,000 square miles (8,000 km2) of the Mono Lake region. The tephra were carried by the wind and deposited in a layer 8 inches (20 cm) deep 20 miles (32 km) from the vents and 2 inches (5 cm) deep 50 miles (80 km) away.[33]: 67 

Pyroclastic flows of hot clouds of gas, ash and pulverized lava erupted from these vents in narrow tongues that extended up to 5 miles (8 km) away and covered 38 square miles (100 km2).[31][33]: 67–68  Rhyolite lava oozed out of the vents to form several steep-sided domes, including Panum Dome and the much larger North Coulee flow.[33]: 68  The youngest domes and coulees are 600 to 700 years old and are, therefore, the youngest mountains in North America.[8]: 290 

Inyo volcanic chain and Paoha Island

The Inyo volcanic chain formed approximately 600 years ago.[34] This activity occurred just a few years after the Mono Crater eruptions, and was caused by a dike of similar composition.[33]: 69  The dike eventually became 6.8 miles (11 km) long and up to 33 feet (10 m) wide.[34] The ground above the dike was significantly cracked and faulted.[35]

 
The town of Mammoth Lakes sits on top of ash beds from the Mono–Inyo eruptions.

Explosive eruptions emanated from three separate vents in the summer of 1350 CE.[34][36] Pieces of molten and solid rock were ejected, small craters were formed, and an eruption column rose above the vents.[34][36] Pumice and ash covered an extensive area downwind, and about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of tephra was deposited where the town of Mammoth Lakes, California, now sits.[33]: 69  A pyroclastic flow from South Deadman vent traveled about 3.7 miles (6 km).[34]

Some of the open pits were filled with thick and slow-moving lava to form the South Deadman Creek, Glass Creek and Obsidian Flow domes.[36] Others, such as the Inyo Crater Lakes near Deer Mountain, remained open and were later partially filled with water. Smaller explosion pits on the north side of Mammoth Mountain were also formed at this time.[28]: 55  In the past 6,000 years, approximately 0.19 cubic miles (0.8 km3) of magma has been erupted from the Inyo part of the chain.[27]: 233 

The last recorded volcanic activity in the chain was at Mono Lake between the years 1720 and 1850.[37] An intrusion of magma below the lake pushed lakebed sediments upward to form Paoha Island. Exposed rhyolite is on the north part of the island, and a group of seven dacite cinder cones and a lava flow are on the northeastern corner.[33]: 69  Steam rose in columns hundreds of feet high (tens of meters) from Hot Spring Cove on the island and the spring water was 150 °F (66 °C) when geologist Israel Russell visited the island in the early 1880s.[23]: 372 

History

Human use

People have used resources on and around the Mono–Inyo Craters for centuries. Mono Paiutes gathered obsidian from the Mono–Inyo Craters to make sharp tools and arrow points.[38] Unworked obsidian was carried by the Mono Paiutes over passes in the Sierra Nevada to trade with other Native American groups. Chips of Mono–Inyo obsidian can still be found at many ancient mountain campsites.[39]

 
Mono Mills processed wood near Mono Domes for use in the boomtown of Bodie.

Gold rush–related boomtowns sprang up near Mono Basin in the 19th century to exploit bonanzas. The largest of these, Bodie (north of Mono Lake), was founded in the late 1870s and grew large enough to need a tree mill, which was located at Mono Mills, immediately northeast of Mono Domes.[40] Timberland to the east of the Mono Craters was clearcut for wood.[41]

As part of the California Water Wars, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power purchased large tracts of land in the 1930s within Mono Basin and Owens Valley in order to control water rights.[8]: 296  Excavation of an 11.5-mile (18.5 km) water tunnel under the southern part of the Mono Craters dome complex started in 1934 and was completed in 1941.[22]: 51  Tunnel workers had to deal with loose and often water-charged gravels, pockets of carbon dioxide gas and flooding. About one man was lost for each mile excavated.[22]: 51  Water diverted from its natural outlet in Mono Lake passes through the tunnel on its way to the Los Angeles Aqueduct system.

Early impressions

The chain of craters has been the subject of several writers and naturalists. Mark Twain visited Mono Basin in the 1860s and wrote about Mono Lake, but did not mention any of the Mono–Inyo Craters except for the lake's two volcanic islands. He wrote in Roughing It (1872) that the lake was in a "lifeless, hideous desert ..." that was the "loneliest spot on earth ... little graced with the picturesque."[42]

 
Drawing of the Mono Craters by John Muir

Naturalist John Muir explored the area in 1869. He described the "Mono Desert" as a "... country of wonderful contrasts. Hot deserts bounded by snow-laden mountains,—cinders and ashes scattered on glacier-polished pavements,—frost and fire working together in the making of beauty. In the lake are several volcanic islands, which show that the waters were once mingled with fire."[43] Muir described the Mono Craters as "... heaps of loose ashes that have never been blest by either rain or snow ..."[43]

In the spring of 1881 and the fall of 1882, geologist Israel Russell studied the area as a side-trip during his field research of Lake Lahontan, a now dry lake that covered much of nearby Nevada during the last glacial period.[23]: 267  His Quaternary History of the Mono Valley (1889), which included a topographic survey by Willard D. Johnson, was the first thorough scientific description of Mono Lake and its volcanic features.

Russell named the Mono Craters and wrote: "The attention of every one who enters Mono Valley is at once attracted by the soft, pleasing colors of these craters as well as by the symmetry and beauty of their forms. They are exceptional features in the scenery of the region, and are rendered all the more striking by their proximity to the angular peaks and rugged outlines of the High Sierra."[23]: 378 

Protection

The Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area, created in 1984, was the first National Scenic Area in the United States.[44] It offers more protection than other United States Forest Service lands, surrounds Mono Lake and its two volcanic islands, Black Point, Panum Crater and much of the northern half of the Mono Craters.[45] Litigation and outreach by the Mono Lake Committee, the National Audubon Society and other conservation groups has helped to slow water diversions from tributaries feeding Mono Lake.[46]

Volcanic hazards

 
The creation of Paoha Island 250 years ago was the most recent activity along the chain

The Long Valley to Mono Lake region is one of three areas in California that are in the United States Geological Survey's volcanic hazards program.[note 2][28]: 52  These areas are in the program because they have been active in the last 2,000 years and have the ability to produce explosive eruptions.[28]: 52 

About 20 eruptions have occurred on the Mono–Inyo Craters chain at intervals of 250 to 700 years during the past 5,000 years.[20]: 24  Seismic soundings and lava composition indicate that these eruptions most likely originated from discrete and small magma bodies.[7] The rate of eruption over the last 1,000 years has increased, with at least 12 eruptions occurring.[33]: 57 

All eruptions in the past 5,000 years from the Mono–Inyo Craters have expelled less than 0.24 cubic miles (1 km3) of magma.[47] Future eruptions in the area will likely be similar in size to the small to moderate events of the past 5,000 years.[47] There is a one in 200 chance (0.5%) per year of an eruption occurring along the chain.[20]: 24  An eruption in the foreseeable future is probably more likely along the Mono–Inyo chain than an unrelated eruption inside Long Valley Caldera.[21]

Effects

 
Potential thickness of tephra on the ground from eruptions of less than 0.25 cubic miles (1 km3)

A wide range of effects are expected from future eruptions along the Mono–Inyo Craters. Ash and rock fragments (tephra) may accumulate to a thickness of 33 feet (10 m) near an erupting Mono–Inyo vent.[47] Downwind accumulations of tephra may exceed 7.9 inches (20 cm) at a distance of 22 miles (35 km) and 2.0 inches (5 cm) at 53 miles (85 km).[48]: 8  Winds in the area tend to blow toward an east or northeasterly direction more than 50 percent of the time, and toward any easterly direction more than 80 percent of the time.[48]: 8  Grain size and thickness of tephra generally decreases gradually with distance from a vent. Volcanic ash will likely contaminate air routes east of the vent.[47]

Severe damage from super-heated flows of gas, ash and pulverized rock (pyroclastic flows and surges) may occur at least 9.3 miles (15 km) from an explosive eruption.[48]: 8  The amount of damage depends on vent location, topography, and volume of magma erupted. Pyroclastic flows from vents on Mammoth Mountain or other high vent could travel farther by gaining extra momentum from their descent. Valleys along the route will be more impacted than ridges but flows and surges could overtop some ridges. Eruptions near snowpacks may produce lahars of mud and ash that devastate valleys and watersheds. Steam blast eruptions under a lake could form large waves capable of flooding nearby areas and starting mudflows.[48]: 7 

Basalt lava flows may extend more than 31 miles (50 km) from their vent.[48]: 5  Dacite and rhyolite lavas produce short, thick flows that rarely extend more than 3.1 miles (5 km) from their vent.[48]: 5  Mound-shaped features called lava domes are often created from these flows. Rock fragments thrown from a growing lava dome may reach 3.1 to 6.2 miles (5 to 10 km) from the dome.[47] A partial collapse of the steep-sided growing dome can send pyroclastic flows outward at least 3.1 miles (5 km).[47] Taller domes tend to form larger pyroclastic flows that travel farther.

Activities

 
U.S. Route 395 near Mono Domes

Many recreational activities are available along the chain. The Mono Basin National Scenic Area visitor center is located near Mono Lake just off U.S. Route 395. A bookstore, an information desk staffed by USDA Forest Service Rangers, and museum exhibits help to orient visitors.[44] The Mono Lake Committee has a staffed office and visitor information center in Lee Vining on the corner of U.S. Route 395 and 3rd Street.[49] Information on camping, hiking, guided and self-guided tours can all be obtained at either location.

Multiple paved roads surround the Mono-Inyo craters. U.S. 395 is a scenic route that roughly parallels the Mono–Inyo Craters volcanic chain. California State Route 120 approaches the northern and eastern parts of the Mono Domes, including Panum Crater.[50][51] Mammoth Scenic Loop approaches the Inyo Craters.[52] Direct access to the Mono—Inyo Craters requires driving on unpaved roads, then walking.[53][31]

The town of Mammoth Lakes and Mammoth Mountain are located near the southern end of the chain. Mammoth Mountain Ski Area is located nearby and gondola rides can be taken year-round (weather permitting) to the mountain's summit.[54] The summit of Mammoth Mountain provides panoramic views of the craters and domes of the Mono–Inyo volcanic chain, Mono Lake, the Sierra Nevada and Long Valley Caldera.

Mono Lake itself has its own set of activities, including walking tours among towers of tufa, boat tours of the lake, and birdwatching opportunities.[55] The lake is too salty to support any fish, but fishing is possible in streams that feed Mono Lake. Additional activities include hiking around and on the craters and domes, and mountain biking outside of the Scenic Area boundaries.

 
Mono Craters from U.S. 395

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Geographically, Mammoth Mountain (11,059 feet or 3,371 meters) is considered part of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, not the Mono–Inyo Craters mountain range, but volcanically, Mammoth Mountain and the southern part of the Mono–Inyo Craters share the same precursor activity. Explosion pits and fumaroles on the mountain formed in the last 1,000 years are considered part of the volcanic activity directly related to the Mono–Inyo Craters.[2][3]
  2. ^ The other two areas are the Mount Lassen area and Mount Shasta.

References

  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Geological Survey.

  1. ^ Wheelock, Walt (1985), Desert peaks guide: part I, being that great ridge lying east of Owens Valley – the Mono, White, Inyo, Coss and Argus Ranges, La Siesta Press, p. 13
  2. ^ a b c California Volcano Observatory (2012-04-20), "Mono–Inyo Eruptions Over the Past 8,000 Years", Mono-Inyo Craters, United States Geological Survey
  3. ^ "706 702 2=Mammoth". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
  4. ^ "Mono-Inyo Craters". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2008-12-20.
  5. ^ "Mono Lake Volcanic Field". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2008-12-20.
  6. ^ Hill, David P.; Bailey, Roy A.; Miller, C. Dan; Hendley, James W., II; Stauffer, Peter H. (November 1998), Future Eruptions in California's Long Valley Area—What's Likely? (PDF), United States Geological Survey, retrieved 2008-08-01.
  7. ^ a b c d e Geologic History of Long Valley Caldera and the Mono–Inyo Craters volcanic chain, California, Menlo Park, California: United States Geological Survey, 1999, retrieved 2009-10-18
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Sharp, Robert P.; Glazner, Allen F. (1997), Geology Underfoot in Death Valley and Owens Valley, Missoula: Mountain Press Publishing Company, ISBN 978-0-87842-362-0, OCLC 183315341
  9. ^ Bailey, Roy A (1989). Geologic map of Long Valley caldera, Mono-Inyo Craters volcanic chain, and vicinity, Mono County, California (Map). 1:62,500. U.S. Geological Survey. Miscellaneous Investigations Map I-1933.
  10. ^ a b c Hildreth, Wes (2004-09-15). "Volcanological perspectives on Long Valley, Mammoth Mountain, and Mono Craters: several contiguous but discrete systems". Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. 136 (3–4): 169–198. Bibcode:2004JVGR..136..169H. doi:10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2004.05.019.
  11. ^ a b California Volcano Observatory (2016-03-16). "Geologic history of the Inyo Craters volcanic chain". United States Geological Survey.
  12. ^ , United States Geological Survey, October 1999, archived from the original on 2011-08-07, retrieved 2009-12-13
  13. ^ a b Lee Vining, California: Monthly Climate Summary for 5/1/1988 to 6/30/2009, Western Regional Climate Center, retrieved 2009-12-13
  14. ^ a b Mammoth Lakes Ranger STN: Monthly Climate Summary for 12/1/1993 to 6/30/2009, Western Regional Climate Center, retrieved 2009-12-13
  15. ^ a b c d e Constantine, Helen (1993), Plant Communities of the Mono Basin, Lee Vining, California: Kutsavi Press, Mono Lake Committee, ISBN 978-0-939716-04-3
  16. ^ Dale, John W., , California Forest Health in 1994 and 1995 (R5-FPM-PR-002), San Francisco: USDA Forest Service, archived from the original on 2009-01-20, retrieved 2009-12-13
  17. ^ Smith, Genny (2003), Sierra East: Edge of the Great Basin (1st ed.), University of California Press, p. 127, ISBN 978-0-520-23914-2
  18. ^ (PDF), Mammoth Cares / In partnership with Inyo National Forest, archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-09-29, retrieved 2009-12-13
  19. ^ Koningsmark, Ted (2002), Geologic Trips: Sierra Nevada, Mendocino, California: GeoPress, ISBN 978-0-9661316-5-9, OCLC 53139240
  20. ^ a b c d Hill, David; et al. (2002), Response plan for volcano hazards in the Long Valley Caldera and Mono Craters region, California, United States Geological Survey, ISBN 978-0-607-98488-0, OCLC 49936393, Bulletin 2185, retrieved 2011-05-27
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  22. ^ a b c d e Tierney, Timothy (2000), Geology of the Mono Basin (revised ed.), Lee Vining, California: Kutsavi Press, Mono Lake Committee, ISBN 978-0-939716-08-1, OCLC 876227860
  23. ^ a b c d e f g Russell, Israel (1984) [Reprinted from the 1889 publication], Quaternary History of the Mono Valley, California, Eighth Annual Report of the United States Geological Survey, 1889, pages 267–394, Lee Vining, California; Originally, Washington, D.C.: Artemisia Press; Originally, the United States Geological Survey, OCLC 12057834
  24. ^ a b c Hill, Mary (2006), Geology of the Sierra Nevada (revised ed.), Berkeley, California: University of California Press, ISBN 978-0-520-23696-7, OCLC 816496621
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External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mono-Inyo Craters.
  • Young, Bisset E. (June 2008), Evolution of the Mono–Inyo Volcanic Chain (PDF), retrieved 2011-05-28
  • , USGS Hazards Program, Long Valley Observatory, archived from the original on 2010-06-02, retrieved 2008-12-20
  • , USGS Hazards Program, Long Valley Observatory, archived from the original on 2010-06-14, retrieved 2008-12-20
  • Hill, David; et al. (2002), Response plan for volcano hazards in the Long Valley Caldera and Mono Craters region, California, United States Geological Survey, ISBN 978-0-607-98488-0, Bulletin 2185, retrieved 2011-05-27
  • Miller, C. Dan; Mullineaux, D.R.; Crandell, D.R.; Bailey, R.A. (1982), Potential hazards from future volcanic eruptions in the Long Valley – Mono Lake area, east-central California and southwest Nevada; a preliminary assessment, United States Geological Survey, Report 877, retrieved 2011-05-27

July 19, 2023
mono, inyo, craters, volcanic, chain, craters, domes, lava, flows, mono, county, eastern, california, chain, stretches, miles, from, northwest, shore, mono, lake, south, mammoth, mountain, mono, lake, volcanic, field, forms, northernmost, part, chain, consists. 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 steam explosion 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 Mono Inyo CratersAnnotated satellite image of the chainHighest pointPeakCrater Mountain 1 note 1 Elevation9 172 ft 2 796 m Coordinates37 52 40 N 119 0 25 W 37 87778 N 119 00694 W 37 87778 119 00694DimensionsLength25 mi 40 km GeographyCountryUnited StatesStateCaliforniaRegionEastern CaliforniaCountyMonoTownMammoth Lakes CaliforniaRange coordinates37 53 N 119 0 W 37 883 N 119 000 W 37 883 119 000GeologyAge of rockAbout 40 000 years 6 Type of rockLava domes 4 cinder cones 5 Eruptions along the narrow fissure system under the chain began in the west moat of Long Valley Caldera 400 000 to 60 000 years ago Mammoth Mountain was formed during this period Multiple eruptions from 40 000 to 600 years ago created the Mono Craters and eruptions 5 000 to 500 years ago formed the Inyo volcanic chain Lava flows 5 000 years ago built the Red Cones and explosion pits on Mammoth Mountain were excavated in the last 1 000 years Uplift of Paoha Island in Mono Lake about 250 years ago is the most recent activity These eruptions most likely originated from small magma bodies rather than from a single large magma chamber like the one that produced the massive Long Valley Caldera eruption 760 000 years ago During the past 3 000 years eruptions have occurred every 250 to 700 years In 1980 a series of earthquakes and uplift within and south of Long Valley Caldera indicated renewed activity in the area The region has been used by humans for centuries Obsidian was collected by Mono Paiutes for making sharp tools and arrow points Glassy rock continues to be removed in modern times for use as commercial scour and yard decoration Mono Mills processed timber felled on or near the volcanoes for the nearby boomtown Bodie in the late 19th to early 20th centuries Water diversions into the Los Angeles Aqueduct system from their natural outlets in Mono Lake started in 1941 after a water tunnel was cut under the Mono Craters Mono Lake Volcanic Field and a large part of the Mono Craters gained some protection under Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area in 1984 Resource use along all of the chain is managed by the United States Forest Service as part of Inyo National Forest Various activities are possible along the chain including hiking bird watching canoeing skiing and mountain biking Contents 1 Geography and description 1 1 Setting 1 1 1 Mono Craters 1 1 2 Inyo volcanic chain 1 1 3 Red Cones 1 2 Climate and ecology 1 3 Typical evolution 2 Geology 2 1 Background 2 2 Mono Craters Negit Island and Black Point 2 3 Inyo volcanic chain and Paoha Island 3 History 3 1 Human use 3 2 Early impressions 3 3 Protection 4 Volcanic hazards 4 1 Effects 5 Activities 6 See also 7 Notes 8 References 9 External linksGeography and description Edit Mono Craters The Mono Craters form an arc of overlapping lava domes and flows The Inyo Craters are a set of explosion pits Setting Edit The Mono Inyo Craters form a volcanic chain in Eastern California that sits along a narrow north south trending fissure system extending from the north shore of Mono Lake through the western Long Valley Caldera south of Mammoth Mountain 7 The chain is within the Inyo National Forest and Mono County the nearest incorporated community is Mammoth Lakes The craters are in the Great Basin geographic area Mono Craters Edit The Mono Craters are a 10 5 mile 17 km chain of at least 27 volcanic domes three large glass flows called coulees and various explosion pits and other associated volcanic features 8 289 The domes of the chain lie on a roughly north south trending arc that is concave to the west and located south of Mono Lake 9 The highest of the Mono Craters domes is Crater Mountain elevation 9 172 feet or 2 796 m which rises 2 400 feet 730 m above Pumice Valley to the west 8 290 Associated volcanic features are located in Mono Lake Paoha and Negit Islands and on its north shore Black Point The coulees cluster north and south of the overlapping chain of domes 8 290 Inyo volcanic chain Edit Photo from the edge of southernmost of the Inyo craters The Inyo volcanic chain stretches 6 miles 10 km from Wilson Butte to the Inyo Craters proper 10 The Inyo Craters are open pits in a forested area that are about 600 feet 180 m across and 100 to 200 feet 30 to 60 m deep each with small ponds covering their floors 8 252 A quarter mile half kilometer north of these is another explosion pit on top of Deer Mountain 11 Farther north of these craters are five lava domes including Deadman Creek Dome Glass Creek Dome Obsidian Dome and Wilson Butte 11 These domes are composed of gray rhyolite frothy pumice and black obsidian The Inyo volcanic chain extends into Long Valley Caldera but is not related to the caldera s volcanism 8 290 Red Cones Edit South of the Inyo volcanic chain are other features related to the dike system responsible for creating the craters volcanoes and lava flows These include a north south trend of fault scarps up to 20 feet 6 m high and pull apart cracks or fissures in the earth 8 253 These fissures are not technically faults because little or no vertical or horizontal movement has occurred along them 8 254 Most notable among these is Earthquake Fault a fissure up to 10 feet 3 m wide that cuts 60 to 70 feet 18 to 21 m into glassy rhyolite lava flows The fissure was formed by stretching induced by the intrusion of the Inyo dike 8 253 Stairs to the bottom of the fissure were removed after being damaged by earthquakes in 1980 8 253 Several Mono Inyo related explosion pits are on Mammoth Mountain 2 The Red Cones south of Mammoth Mountain are basaltic cinder cones and are the southernmost part of the Mono Inyo Craters volcanic chain 2 12 Climate and ecology Edit The Mono Inyo Craters are in the Central Basin and Range ecoregion of the North American Desert The desert environment of Mono Basin receives about 14 inches 36 cm of precipitation a year 13 Annual precipitation around Mammoth Lakes which is close to the Inyo volcanic chain is about 23 inches 58 cm 14 Moisture travels over the Sierra crest from the Pacific Ocean through the San Joaquin Gap 15 30 Temperatures in Mono Basin range from average winter lows of 20 to 28 F 7 to 2 C to average summer highs of 75 to 84 F 24 to 29 C 13 Temperatures near the Inyo volcanic chain and Mammoth Lakes area range from winter average lows of 16 to 21 F 9 to 6 C to summer average highs of 70 to 78 F 21 to 26 C 14 Most of the surface of the Mono Craters is barren but its slopes are covered by Jeffrey pine forest and partial greenery 15 4 Pumice Valley directly to the west is covered by sagebrush scrubland 15 4 The soil consists primarily of deep pumice which does not hold water well 15 30 Mycorrhizal fungi in the soil invade the roots of Jeffrey pine trees in a symbiotic relationship that helps the pine absorb water and provides nutrients to the fungi 15 30 Jeffrey pine forests also surround the Inyo volcanic chain 16 and Mammoth Mountain 17 Mule deer coyotes black bears yellow bellied marmots raccoons and mountain lions all have ranges that are coincident with forests that cover parts of the Mono Inyo craters 18 Typical evolution Edit Aerial photo of Panum CraterPanum Crater is the northernmost volcano in the sequence and is a good example of both a tuff ring and a rhyolite dome Its structure is twofold an outer tuff ring forming a classic crater and an inner plug or dome of rhyolite pumice and obsidian created from lavas 19 137 In this case heat from the magma feeding Panum flashed groundwater to steam to create the tuff ring before lava reached the surface Other Mono Craters also were formed in this manner but their plug domes grew larger than their tuff ring craters The domes have steep sides and are flanked by slopes of scree consisting of large angular and glass rich rocks 8 291 Devil s Punch Bowl located south of the main dome complex stopped forming at an earlier stage of development It is a 1 200 foot 370 m wide and 140 foot 43 m deep explosion pit with a much smaller glass dome on its floor 8 291 The large North and South Coulee and the smaller Northwest Coulee consist of obsidian rich rhyolite They were formed from slow moving lava that had a thin and brittle crust 8 294 Once the flow stopped it formed steep sided tongues of sharp and angular rock that are typically 200 to 300 feet 60 to 90 m thick and have scree piles along their base 8 294 South Coulee is 2 25 miles 3 6 km long 0 75 miles 1 2 km wide and has a volume of 0 1 cubic miles 0 4 km3 making it the largest Mono Craters coulee in volume 8 294 295 South Coulee originates from the crest of the Mono Domes about 3 miles 5 km from the southern end flows down its east and west flanks and terminates at its foot 8 294 North Coulee is nearly as large flows mostly to the east and terminates in a divided pair of lobes Northwest Coulee is located northwest of North Coulee and was intruded by Upper Dome after the coulee solidified 8 295 Permanent pockets of ice from snowmelt have been found 75 to 147 feet 23 to 45 m inside the coulees and domes 8 295 Geology EditBackground Edit Hand samples of the Bishop Tuff normal with pumice on left compressed with fiamme on right The Mono Inyo chain of craters lies in east central California roughly parallel to the eastern escarpment of the Sierra Nevada mountain range Volcanism and seismic activity in eastern California are a result of two major geologic processes northwest movement of the Pacific Plate with respect to the North American Plate along the San Andreas Fault system near the coast and east west extension of the crust that formed the Basin and Range Province 20 21 22 In the Long Valley region where the craters are located basin and range extension encroaches onto the thick and stable crust of the Sierra Nevada 21 Geologic map of the area Basement rock under the Mono Inyo chain consists of the same granitic and metamorphic rock that make up the Sierra Nevada Above that layer are basaltic grading to rhyolitic volcanic rocks that are 3 5 million to less than 760 000 years old 8 290 Volcanism occurred north of the chain in the Bodie Hills as far back as 28 million years 22 44 Nearly all the rock east of the Sierra Nevada in the Mono Basin area is volcanic in origin 23 371 Volcanoes erupted from 3 6 to 2 3 million years ago near what is now Long Valley 24 270 Rhyolitic eruptions occurred in and around Glass Mountain in the same area from 2 1 to 0 8 million years ago 25 Volcanic ash from the massive 600 cubic kilometres or 140 cubic miles of ejecta eruption of Long Valley Caldera some 760 000 years ago is preserved in the thick Bishop Tuff that covers much of the region Eruptions of basalt and andesite 400 000 to 60 000 years ago in the west moat of Long Valley Caldera were the first activity associated with the Mono Inyo Craters system 7 Eruptions around 300 000 years ago filled the west moat with 800 feet 240 m of basaltic lava 24 276 Basaltic and andesitic eruptive activity then moved to Mono Basin and lasted from 40 000 to 13 000 years ago 7 Seismic data indicate that a magma chamber with an estimated volume of 48 to 144 cubic miles 200 to 600 km3 exists 5 0 to 6 2 miles 8 to 10 km directly below the Mono Craters 26 27 231 About 660 feet 200 m of subsidence has occurred within a ring fracture system centered on Pumice Valley west of the chamber in the last 700 000 years 27 231 The Mono Craters sit atop a 7 5 mile 12 km long arc on the eastern side of the 11 mile 18 km wide ring fracture system 27 231 Magma feeding the domes may have exploited arc shaped fissures around an intrusion of granitic rock deep below the chain 8 289 This magma chamber is separate from the magma chamber under Long Valley Caldera 21 The recent eruptions of the Mono Craters have been similar in volume and nearly identical in composition crystal poor high silica rhyolite to those of Glass Mountain that preceded the Long Valley Caldera forming eruption 10 It has been suggested that the Mono Craters volcanism may represent an early stage in the development of a future caldera 27 231 28 55 29 Repeated eruption of dacite and rhyodacite from vents on the southwest rim of the caldera from 220 000 to 50 000 years ago formed Mammoth Mountain a volcano composed of overlapping lava domes 24 277 Eruptions of dacite and rhyodacite occurred in Mono Basin from 100 000 to 6 000 years ago 7 Mono Craters Negit Island and Black Point Edit Eruptions in the last 5 000 years along the Mono Inyo chainMultiple eruptions of silica rich rhyolite from 40 000 to 600 years ago built the Mono Craters 20 24 Black Point today on the north shore of Mono Lake is a flattened volcanic cone of basaltic debris that formed under the surface of a much deeper Mono Lake about 13 300 years ago during the most recent glacial period 22 53 Several eruptive episodes from 1 600 to 270 years before present in Mono Lake formed Negit Island 22 54 The magma reservoir feeding the Mono Lake Volcanic Field is unrelated to the Mono Craters magma reservoir 10 Basaltic andesite lava built the Red Cones two small cinder cones 6 2 miles 10 km southwest of Mammoth Lakes around 8 500 before present 30 The five Mammoth Mountain Craters are a set of explosion pits that trend west north west for 1 6 miles 2 5 km near the northern flank of Mammoth Mountain 30 None of the Mono Craters near the lake show the effects of wave erosion but a hill at the southern end of the field shows what Israel Russell called a beach line 23 384 The present elevation of this beach line is the level of the Mono Lake high stand before the formation of the northern Mono Craters 23 384 plus any surface deformation that has happened since that time Stream rounded stones are found on the volcanoes and were lifted up as the volcanoes grew 23 388 Although glaciers were present throughout the Sierra Nevada they did not reach as far down as the Mono Craters The most recent eruptive episode on the Mono Craters occurred sometime between the years 1325 and 1365 31 32 A vertical sheet like mass of magma called a dike caused groundwater to explosively flash to steam creating a line of vents 4 miles 6 km long 33 67 A mix of ash and pulverized rock called tephra covered about 3 000 square miles 8 000 km2 of the Mono Lake region The tephra were carried by the wind and deposited in a layer 8 inches 20 cm deep 20 miles 32 km from the vents and 2 inches 5 cm deep 50 miles 80 km away 33 67 Pyroclastic flows of hot clouds of gas ash and pulverized lava erupted from these vents in narrow tongues that extended up to 5 miles 8 km away and covered 38 square miles 100 km2 31 33 67 68 Rhyolite lava oozed out of the vents to form several steep sided domes including Panum Dome and the much larger North Coulee flow 33 68 The youngest domes and coulees are 600 to 700 years old and are therefore the youngest mountains in North America 8 290 Inyo volcanic chain and Paoha Island Edit The Inyo volcanic chain formed approximately 600 years ago 34 This activity occurred just a few years after the Mono Crater eruptions and was caused by a dike of similar composition 33 69 The dike eventually became 6 8 miles 11 km long and up to 33 feet 10 m wide 34 The ground above the dike was significantly cracked and faulted 35 The town of Mammoth Lakes sits on top of ash beds from the Mono Inyo eruptions Explosive eruptions emanated from three separate vents in the summer of 1350 CE 34 36 Pieces of molten and solid rock were ejected small craters were formed and an eruption column rose above the vents 34 36 Pumice and ash covered an extensive area downwind and about 1 inch 2 5 cm of tephra was deposited where the town of Mammoth Lakes California now sits 33 69 A pyroclastic flow from South Deadman vent traveled about 3 7 miles 6 km 34 Some of the open pits were filled with thick and slow moving lava to form the South Deadman Creek Glass Creek and Obsidian Flow domes 36 Others such as the Inyo Crater Lakes near Deer Mountain remained open and were later partially filled with water Smaller explosion pits on the north side of Mammoth Mountain were also formed at this time 28 55 In the past 6 000 years approximately 0 19 cubic miles 0 8 km3 of magma has been erupted from the Inyo part of the chain 27 233 The last recorded volcanic activity in the chain was at Mono Lake between the years 1720 and 1850 37 An intrusion of magma below the lake pushed lakebed sediments upward to form Paoha Island Exposed rhyolite is on the north part of the island and a group of seven dacite cinder cones and a lava flow are on the northeastern corner 33 69 Steam rose in columns hundreds of feet high tens of meters from Hot Spring Cove on the island and the spring water was 150 F 66 C when geologist Israel Russell visited the island in the early 1880s 23 372 History EditHuman use Edit People have used resources on and around the Mono Inyo Craters for centuries Mono Paiutes gathered obsidian from the Mono Inyo Craters to make sharp tools and arrow points 38 Unworked obsidian was carried by the Mono Paiutes over passes in the Sierra Nevada to trade with other Native American groups Chips of Mono Inyo obsidian can still be found at many ancient mountain campsites 39 Mono Mills processed wood near Mono Domes for use in the boomtown of Bodie Gold rush related boomtowns sprang up near Mono Basin in the 19th century to exploit bonanzas The largest of these Bodie north of Mono Lake was founded in the late 1870s and grew large enough to need a tree mill which was located at Mono Mills immediately northeast of Mono Domes 40 Timberland to the east of the Mono Craters was clearcut for wood 41 As part of the California Water Wars the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power purchased large tracts of land in the 1930s within Mono Basin and Owens Valley in order to control water rights 8 296 Excavation of an 11 5 mile 18 5 km water tunnel under the southern part of the Mono Craters dome complex started in 1934 and was completed in 1941 22 51 Tunnel workers had to deal with loose and often water charged gravels pockets of carbon dioxide gas and flooding About one man was lost for each mile excavated 22 51 Water diverted from its natural outlet in Mono Lake passes through the tunnel on its way to the Los Angeles Aqueduct system Early impressions Edit The chain of craters has been the subject of several writers and naturalists Mark Twain visited Mono Basin in the 1860s and wrote about Mono Lake but did not mention any of the Mono Inyo Craters except for the lake s two volcanic islands He wrote in Roughing It 1872 that the lake was in a lifeless hideous desert that was the loneliest spot on earth little graced with the picturesque 42 Drawing of the Mono Craters by John MuirNaturalist John Muir explored the area in 1869 He described the Mono Desert as a country of wonderful contrasts Hot deserts bounded by snow laden mountains cinders and ashes scattered on glacier polished pavements frost and fire working together in the making of beauty In the lake are several volcanic islands which show that the waters were once mingled with fire 43 Muir described the Mono Craters as heaps of loose ashes that have never been blest by either rain or snow 43 In the spring of 1881 and the fall of 1882 geologist Israel Russell studied the area as a side trip during his field research of Lake Lahontan a now dry lake that covered much of nearby Nevada during the last glacial period 23 267 His Quaternary History of the Mono Valley 1889 which included a topographic survey by Willard D Johnson was the first thorough scientific description of Mono Lake and its volcanic features Russell named the Mono Craters and wrote The attention of every one who enters Mono Valley is at once attracted by the soft pleasing colors of these craters as well as by the symmetry and beauty of their forms They are exceptional features in the scenery of the region and are rendered all the more striking by their proximity to the angular peaks and rugged outlines of the High Sierra 23 378 Protection Edit The Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area created in 1984 was the first National Scenic Area in the United States 44 It offers more protection than other United States Forest Service lands surrounds Mono Lake and its two volcanic islands Black Point Panum Crater and much of the northern half of the Mono Craters 45 Litigation and outreach by the Mono Lake Committee the National Audubon Society and other conservation groups has helped to slow water diversions from tributaries feeding Mono Lake 46 Volcanic hazards Edit The creation of Paoha Island 250 years ago was the most recent activity along the chain The Long Valley to Mono Lake region is one of three areas in California that are in the United States Geological Survey s volcanic hazards program note 2 28 52 These areas are in the program because they have been active in the last 2 000 years and have the ability to produce explosive eruptions 28 52 About 20 eruptions have occurred on the Mono Inyo Craters chain at intervals of 250 to 700 years during the past 5 000 years 20 24 Seismic soundings and lava composition indicate that these eruptions most likely originated from discrete and small magma bodies 7 The rate of eruption over the last 1 000 years has increased with at least 12 eruptions occurring 33 57 All eruptions in the past 5 000 years from the Mono Inyo Craters have expelled less than 0 24 cubic miles 1 km3 of magma 47 Future eruptions in the area will likely be similar in size to the small to moderate events of the past 5 000 years 47 There is a one in 200 chance 0 5 per year of an eruption occurring along the chain 20 24 An eruption in the foreseeable future is probably more likely along the Mono Inyo chain than an unrelated eruption inside Long Valley Caldera 21 Effects Edit Potential thickness of tephra on the ground from eruptions of less than 0 25 cubic miles 1 km3 A wide range of effects are expected from future eruptions along the Mono Inyo Craters Ash and rock fragments tephra may accumulate to a thickness of 33 feet 10 m near an erupting Mono Inyo vent 47 Downwind accumulations of tephra may exceed 7 9 inches 20 cm at a distance of 22 miles 35 km and 2 0 inches 5 cm at 53 miles 85 km 48 8 Winds in the area tend to blow toward an east or northeasterly direction more than 50 percent of the time and toward any easterly direction more than 80 percent of the time 48 8 Grain size and thickness of tephra generally decreases gradually with distance from a vent Volcanic ash will likely contaminate air routes east of the vent 47 Severe damage from super heated flows of gas ash and pulverized rock pyroclastic flows and surges may occur at least 9 3 miles 15 km from an explosive eruption 48 8 The amount of damage depends on vent location topography and volume of magma erupted Pyroclastic flows from vents on Mammoth Mountain or other high vent could travel farther by gaining extra momentum from their descent Valleys along the route will be more impacted than ridges but flows and surges could overtop some ridges Eruptions near snowpacks may produce lahars of mud and ash that devastate valleys and watersheds Steam blast eruptions under a lake could form large waves capable of flooding nearby areas and starting mudflows 48 7 Basalt lava flows may extend more than 31 miles 50 km from their vent 48 5 Dacite and rhyolite lavas produce short thick flows that rarely extend more than 3 1 miles 5 km from their vent 48 5 Mound shaped features called lava domes are often created from these flows Rock fragments thrown from a growing lava dome may reach 3 1 to 6 2 miles 5 to 10 km from the dome 47 A partial collapse of the steep sided growing dome can send pyroclastic flows outward at least 3 1 miles 5 km 47 Taller domes tend to form larger pyroclastic flows that travel farther Activities Edit U S Route 395 near Mono DomesMany recreational activities are available along the chain The Mono Basin National Scenic Area visitor center is located near Mono Lake just off U S Route 395 A bookstore an information desk staffed by USDA Forest Service Rangers and museum exhibits help to orient visitors 44 The Mono Lake Committee has a staffed office and visitor information center in Lee Vining on the corner of U S Route 395 and 3rd Street 49 Information on camping hiking guided and self guided tours can all be obtained at either location Multiple paved roads surround the Mono Inyo craters U S 395 is a scenic route that roughly parallels the Mono Inyo Craters volcanic chain California State Route 120 approaches the northern and eastern parts of the Mono Domes including Panum Crater 50 51 Mammoth Scenic Loop approaches the Inyo Craters 52 Direct access to the Mono Inyo Craters requires driving on unpaved roads then walking 53 31 The town of Mammoth Lakes and Mammoth Mountain are located near the southern end of the chain Mammoth Mountain Ski Area is located nearby and gondola rides can be taken year round weather permitting to the mountain s summit 54 The summit of Mammoth Mountain provides panoramic views of the craters and domes of the Mono Inyo volcanic chain Mono Lake the Sierra Nevada and Long Valley Caldera Mono Lake itself has its own set of activities including walking tours among towers of tufa boat tours of the lake and birdwatching opportunities 55 The lake is too salty to support any fish but fishing is possible in streams that feed Mono Lake Additional activities include hiking around and on the craters and domes and mountain biking outside of the Scenic Area boundaries Mono Craters from U S 395See also Edit Mountains portalNotes Edit Geographically Mammoth Mountain 11 059 feet or 3 371 meters is considered part of the Sierra Nevada mountain range not the Mono Inyo Craters mountain range but volcanically Mammoth Mountain and the southern part of the Mono Inyo Craters share the same precursor activity Explosion pits and fumaroles on the mountain formed in the last 1 000 years are considered part of the volcanic activity directly related to the Mono Inyo Craters 2 3 The other two areas are the Mount Lassen area and Mount Shasta References Edit This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Geological Survey Wheelock Walt 1985 Desert peaks guide part I being that great ridge lying east of Owens Valley the Mono White Inyo Coss and Argus Ranges La Siesta Press p 13 a b c California Volcano Observatory 2012 04 20 Mono Inyo Eruptions Over the Past 8 000 Years Mono Inyo Craters United States Geological Survey 706 702 2 Mammoth NGS Data Sheet National Geodetic Survey National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration United States Department of Commerce Retrieved 2008 12 11 Mono Inyo Craters Global Volcanism Program Smithsonian Institution Retrieved 2008 12 20 Mono Lake Volcanic Field Global Volcanism Program Smithsonian Institution Retrieved 2008 12 20 Hill David P Bailey Roy A Miller C Dan Hendley James W II Stauffer Peter H November 1998 Future Eruptions in California s Long Valley Area What s Likely PDF United States Geological Survey retrieved 2008 08 01 a b c d e Geologic History of Long Valley Caldera and the Mono Inyo Craters volcanic chain California Menlo Park California United States Geological Survey 1999 retrieved 2009 10 18 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Sharp Robert P Glazner Allen F 1997 Geology Underfoot in Death Valley and Owens Valley Missoula Mountain Press Publishing Company ISBN 978 0 87842 362 0 OCLC 183315341 Bailey Roy A 1989 Geologic map of Long Valley caldera Mono Inyo Craters volcanic chain and vicinity Mono County California Map 1 62 500 U S Geological Survey Miscellaneous Investigations Map I 1933 a b c Hildreth Wes 2004 09 15 Volcanological perspectives on Long Valley Mammoth Mountain and Mono Craters several contiguous but discrete systems Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 136 3 4 169 198 Bibcode 2004JVGR 136 169H doi 10 1016 j jvolgeores 2004 05 019 a b California Volcano Observatory 2016 03 16 Geologic history of the Inyo Craters volcanic chain United States Geological Survey Red Cones Long Valley area California United States Geological Survey October 1999 archived from the original on 2011 08 07 retrieved 2009 12 13 a b Lee Vining California Monthly Climate Summary for 5 1 1988 to 6 30 2009 Western Regional Climate Center retrieved 2009 12 13 a b Mammoth Lakes Ranger STN Monthly Climate Summary for 12 1 1993 to 6 30 2009 Western Regional Climate Center retrieved 2009 12 13 a b c d e Constantine Helen 1993 Plant Communities of the Mono Basin Lee Vining California Kutsavi Press Mono Lake Committee ISBN 978 0 939716 04 3 Dale John W Ecological Sections M261E Sierra Nevada California Forest Health in 1994 and 1995 R5 FPM PR 002 San Francisco USDA Forest Service archived from the original on 2009 01 20 retrieved 2009 12 13 Smith Genny 2003 Sierra East Edge of the Great Basin 1st ed University of California Press p 127 ISBN 978 0 520 23914 2 Mammals of the Sierra Nevada PDF Mammoth Cares In partnership with Inyo National Forest archived from the original PDF on 2011 09 29 retrieved 2009 12 13 Koningsmark Ted 2002 Geologic Trips Sierra Nevada Mendocino California GeoPress ISBN 978 0 9661316 5 9 OCLC 53139240 a b c d Hill David et al 2002 Response plan for volcano hazards in the Long Valley Caldera and Mono Craters region California United States Geological Survey ISBN 978 0 607 98488 0 OCLC 49936393 Bulletin 2185 retrieved 2011 05 27 a b c Hill D P Bailey R A Ryall A S 1985 Active Tectonic and Magmatic Processes Beneath Long Valley Caldera Eastern California An Overview J Geophys Res 90 B13 11 111 11 120 Bibcode 1985JGR 9011111H doi 10 1029 JB090iB13p11111 a b c d e Tierney Timothy 2000 Geology of the Mono Basin revised ed Lee Vining California Kutsavi Press Mono Lake Committee ISBN 978 0 939716 08 1 OCLC 876227860 a b c d e f g Russell Israel 1984 Reprinted from the 1889 publication Quaternary History of the Mono Valley California Eighth Annual Report of the United States Geological Survey 1889 pages 267 394 Lee Vining California Originally Washington D C Artemisia Press Originally the United States Geological Survey OCLC 12057834 a b c Hill Mary 2006 Geology of the Sierra Nevada revised ed Berkeley California University of California Press ISBN 978 0 520 23696 7 OCLC 816496621 Photos of the Long Valley Caldera Rim California Menlo Park California United States Geological Survey 2010 archived from the original on 2011 06 05 retrieved 2011 05 27 Achauer U Greene L Evans J R Iyer H M 1986 12 10 Nature of the Magma Chamber Underlying the Mono Craters Area Eastern California as Determined From Teleseismic Travel Time Residuals Journal of Geophysical Research 91 B14 13 873 13 891 Bibcode 1986JGR 9113873A doi 10 1029 JB091iB14p13873 a b c d e Wood Charles A Kienle Jurgen 1990 Volcanoes of North America United States and Canada Cambridge UK Cambridge University Press ISBN 978 0 521 43811 7 OCLC 21116839 retrieved 2011 05 27 a b c d Rinehart C Smith Ward C 1982 Smith Genny ed Earthquakes and Young Volcanoes along the Eastern Sierra Nevada at Mammoth Lakes 1980 Lone Pine 1872 Inyo and Mono Craters Palo Alto California Genny Smith Books ISBN 978 0 931378 02 7 OCLC 9194192 Jessey D R 2007 A Field Trip to Owens Valley Mammoth Lakes Cenozoic Mesozoic Volcanism of the Eastern Sierra Nevada Archived from the original on 2014 10 14 Retrieved 2016 08 04 a b Bursik M 2006 Most Recent Eruptions in the Southernmost Mono Inyo Craters California AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts 22 V22B 08 Bibcode 2006AGUFM V22B 08B a b c California Volcano Observatory Panum Crater Long Valley Caldera Field Guide United States Geological Survey retrieved 2020 01 01 Sieh K Bursik M 1986 Most recent eruption of the Mono Craters eastern central California PDF Journal of Geophysical Research 91 B12 12539 Bibcode 1986JGR 9112539S doi 10 1029 JB091iB12p12539 a b c d e f g h Harris Stephen L 2005 Fire Mountains of the West 3rd ed Missoula Montana Mountain Press Publishing Company ISBN 978 0 87842 511 2 OCLC 469879116 a b c d e California Volcano Observatory 2016 03 16 Geologic History of the Mono Inyo Craters Volcanic Chain Menlo Park California United States Geological Survey California Volcano Observatory 2011 12 19 Ground cracks and faults associated with the Inyo eruptions United States Geological Survey a b c California Volcano Observatory Obsidian Dome Long Valley Caldera Field Guide United States Geological Survey retrieved 2020 01 01 Tizzania P Berardinoa P Casua F Euilladesc P et al 2007 Surface deformation of Long Valley caldera and Mono Basin California investigated with the SBAS InSAR approach Remote Sensing of Environment 108 3 Farquhar Francis P 2007 History of the Sierra Nevada 2nd ed University of California Press p 12 ISBN 978 0 520 25395 7 retrieved 2011 05 27 Moore James Gregory 2000 Exploring the Highest Sierra 1st ed Stanford University Press ISBN 978 0 8047 3647 3 retrieved 2011 05 27 McDonald Douglas 1988 Bodie Boom Town Gold Town Las Vegas Nevada Nevada Publications in cooperation with the Friends of Bodie ISBN 978 0 913814 88 8 Mono Lake Lumber Company Biennial Report for the State Forester California State Board of Forestry 1906 pp 99 105 Twain Mark 1913 Roughing It Scholarly ed University of California Press p 250 ISBN 978 0 19 515979 0 retrieved 2011 05 27 a b Muir John 1911 My first summer in the Sierra Boston and New York Houghton Mifflin Company The University Press Cambridge pp 307 308 ISBN 978 1 883011 24 6 retrieved 2011 05 27 a b Inyo National Forest About Us USDA Forest Service September 2009 archived from the original on 2009 05 29 retrieved 2009 11 01 Scenic Area Visitor Center Mono Lake Map Mono Lake Committee retrieved 2009 11 22 Decision and Order Amending Water Right Licenses to Establish Fishery Protection Flows in Streams Tributary to Mono Lake and to Protect Public Trust Resources at Mono Lake and in the Mono Lake Region State of California State Water Resources Control Board September 1994 Decision 1631 a b c d e f Volcano Hazard Zones for Small to Moderate sized Eruptions in the Long Valley Mono Lake Area California Menlo Park California United States Geological Survey 1999 archived from the original on August 1 2008 retrieved 2009 12 13 a b c d e f Miller C Dan Mullineaux D R Crandell D R Bailey R A 1982 Potential hazards from future volcanic eruptions in the Long Valley Mono Lake area east central California and southwest Nevada a preliminary assessment United States Geological Survey OCLC 8730567 Report 877 retrieved 2011 05 27 Visit Mono Lake Mono Lake Committee retrieved 2009 11 01 CA Codes shc 260 284 State of California archived from the original on 2010 11 03 retrieved 2011 05 27 Panum Crater Summitpost Retrieved 2011 05 27 Diller David 2008 Mountain Biking Mammoth Mountain Bike Trails of Mammoth Mountain Bishop June Lake and Beyond Extremeline Productions LLC p 104 ISBN 978 0 9723361 1 6 California Volcano Observatory Inyo Craters Long Valley Caldera Field Guide United States Geological Survey retrieved 2020 01 01 Mountain Activities Mammoth Mountain Ski Area archived from the original on 2012 10 26 retrieved 2009 11 08 Things to do Spending your time in Mono Basin Mono Lake Committee retrieved 2009 11 08External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mono Inyo Craters Young Bisset E June 2008 Evolution of the Mono Inyo Volcanic Chain PDF retrieved 2011 05 28 Photos of the Mono Craters California USGS Hazards Program Long Valley Observatory archived from the original on 2010 06 02 retrieved 2008 12 20 Photos of Inyo Craters California USGS Hazards Program Long Valley Observatory archived from the original on 2010 06 14 retrieved 2008 12 20 Hill David et al 2002 Response plan for volcano hazards in the Long Valley Caldera and Mono Craters region California United States Geological Survey ISBN 978 0 607 98488 0 Bulletin 2185 retrieved 2011 05 27 Miller C Dan Mullineaux D R Crandell D R Bailey R A 1982 Potential hazards from future volcanic eruptions in the Long Valley Mono Lake area east central California and southwest Nevada a preliminary assessment United States Geological Survey Report 877 retrieved 2011 05 27 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Mono Inyo Craters amp oldid 1149322919, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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