Lava Beds National Monument
Lava Beds was created by pre-historic volcanic activity. Huge cinder cones
(mini volcones) cloaked by age with trees, and scrub grasses dot the park.
Lava flows spill out over the landscape, in waves and froths of frozen rock.
Plants have not colonized these hard lava flows as if remembering the ancient
catastrophes.
In some of these photos you can see the smoke plumes rising from the landscape. These
are from wildfires- not from volcanic activity.
Lava Beds NM is very similar to Craters of the Moon NM in Idaho. Both sit above hot spots in the earth's crust where molten rock has slowly oozed, and sputtered to the surface over a wide area- rather than building a grand volcano over a single vent. Both Monuments are arid deserts. Craters of the Moon appears younger in that its cinder cones are not as cloaked by vegetation. Both have extensize lava tube caves, some of which have ice even in summer.
Lava Beds is also famous as the site of the final battle of the "Modoc War". In 1872
fifty-two Modoc warriors fought off a siege by a much larger US. Army force for 5 months.
The rough uneven lava, like this splatter cone (right photo) provided a natural fortress.
Lava Beds National Monument is located in northern California, roughly halfway between
Craters of the Moon
, and
Lassen Volcanic NP
.
All images © John Donohue, 1995,1996