what type of volcano is long valley

How long has Mount Kilauea been an active volcano?

The volcano has been active for more than 35 years, with the volcano almost continuously erupting since 1983. Kilauea has erupted like this on two previous occasions, in 1924, when one man died ...

When was the last volcano eruption in California?

California last experienced a volcanic eruption on May 22, 1915, when Mount Lassen sent pulverizing streams of volcanic debris down its slopes. The southernmost active volcano in the Cascade Range, Lassen rises roughly 10,400 feet just east of Redding. Between May 19 and 22, lava spilled from the peak, creating waves of rock, ash, and melted ...

Is long Valley Caldera a supervolcano?

THE LONG VALLEY CALDERA supervolcano is considered to be one of the world’s most dangerous, with signs that an eruption is “imminent” having surfaced across the Californian region. Long Valley Caldera is a depression in eastern California that sits next to the Mammoth Mountain.

What type of volcano is Long Valley Caldera?

Volcanic Field, California. Long Valley caldera, located at the boundary between the Sierra Nevada and the Basin and Range Province, is one of the largest Quaternary rhyolitic volcanic centers in North America. The caldera is elliptical in shape and 10 by 20 miles (15 by 30 km) in size.

What type of volcanic feature is Long Valley?

Long Valley Caldera The Glass Mountain eruptions, which were fed by a large, chemically evolving magma chamber in the shallow crust, culminated in the cataclysmic eruption of 600 km3 (144 mi3) of high-silica rhyolite 760,000 years ago.

Is Long Valley an active volcano?

Long Valley Caldera and the Mono-Inyo Craters chain form a large volcanic complex in eastern California that has had persistent earthquake activity and ground uplift in recent decades. Volcanoes have been active in the area for millions of years, and future eruptions are certain to occur.

When did Long Valley last erupt?

about 760,000 years agoDuring a gigantic eruption about 760,000 years ago, an area bordered by what is now Mammoth Mountain, the Glass Mountains and Crowley Lake (approximately 12 miles wide by 18 miles long), collapsed to form the Long Valley Caldera.

What type of volcano is Mount Rainier?

stratovolcanoMount Rainier is an episodically active composite volcano, also called a stratovolcano. Volcanic activity began between one half and one million years ago, with the most recent eruption cycle ending about 1,000 years ago.

Is Long Valley going to erupt?

Massive eruptions of the size that accompanied formation of Long Valley Caldera 760,000 years ago are extremely rare (none have occurred during the period of written human history). Scientists see no evidence that an eruption of such catastrophic proportions might be brewing beneath Long Valley caldera.

Is Long Valley active dormant or extinct?

A long-dormant supervolcano in California still holds over 1000 cubic kilometres of semi-molten magma. The find suggests the supervolcano is not entirely extinct, but a major eruption remains extremely unlikely. Long Valley Caldera in east California is 32 kilometres across and almost a kilometre deep.

Is there a supervolcano in California?

Considered one of the most dangerous supervolcanos, the Long Valley Caldera is surrounded by surfacing news of eruptions across California.

Could there be a volcano in Los Angeles?

It's long been thought to be dormant and so an unlikely candidate for earthquakes or volcanoes, but recent research indicates that might not be the case. While there are faults in an around Los Angeles, that might not be enough to birth a volcano.

What is the name of the super volcano in California?

Long Valley CalderaLong Valley was formed 760,000 years ago when a very large eruption released hot ash that later cooled to form the Bishop tuff that is common to the area....Long Valley CalderaLocationMono County, California United StatesCoordinates37°43′00″N 118°53′03″W9 more rows

What would happen if Yellowstone blew up?

If another large, caldera-forming eruption were to occur at Yellowstone, its effects would be worldwide. Such a giant eruption would have regional effects such as falling ash and short-term (years to decades) changes to global climate.

Is Mt Everest a volcano?

Mount Everest is not an active volcano. It is not a volcano but a folded mountain formed at the point of contact between the Indian and Eurasian plates. Mount Everest is the highest point on earth and it is found in the Himalayas mountain range.

What kind of volcano is Yellowstone?

Yellowstone National Park is situated over a supervolcano that is capable of an eruption of magnitude 8. It has had three massive eruptions, all of which created calderas. The first eruption occurred some 2.1 million years ago, and the second took place about 800,000 years later.

Are there any active volcanoes in California?

At least seven California volcanoes—Medicine Lake Volcano, Mount Shasta, Lassen Volcanic Center, Clear Lake Volcanic Field, Long Valley Volcanic Region, Coso Volcanic Field, and Salton Buttes - have partially molten rock (magma) deep within their roots, and research on past eruptions indicates they will erupt again in ...

Are there volcanoes under LA?

There are no volcanoes in Los Angeles. The closest volcanic activity is the Lavic volcanic field and Coso volcanic field. Lavic is located near Victorville and east of Lancaster, and Coso is located 181 miles north of Los Angeles County.

What is the name of the super volcano in California?

Considered one of the most dangerous supervolcanos, the Long Valley Caldera is surrounded by surfacing news of eruptions across California.

Is there a volcano near Mammoth Lakes?

Mammoth Mountain, a lava-dome complex, lies on the southwest topographic rim of Long Valley Caldera. The 3,369-m (11,053 ft) high volcano lies west of the structural rim of the caldera and is considered to represent a magmatic system distinct from Long Valley Caldera and the Mono-Inyo Craters (Hildreth, 2004).

What is the caldera in California?

The large 17 x 32 km Long Valley caldera east of the central Sierra Nevada Range, California, is the result of a giant explosive eruption that happened about 760,000 years ago and formed the widespread and voluminous Bishop Tuff.#N# The caldera has been showing unrest in recent years, in the form of deformation of the caldera floor and earthquake swarms. It contains numerous hot springs and fumaroles. In order to better study and monitor the caldera and possible further changes, USGS established the Long Valley Observatory (http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/lvo/).

When did the Bishop Tuff eruption occur?

Following the Bishop Tuff eruption and the formation of Long Valley caldera 760,000 years ago , activity continued in the central part of the caldera to form a lava dome. Smaller explosive eruptions of rhyodacite pumice occurred as well from outer ring fracture vents. The last activity was about 50,000 years ago.

How much did the caldera swelling in 2000?

This continuing swelling, which by early 2000 totaled nearly 2.5 feet and affects more than 100 square miles, is caused by new magma rising beneath the caldera. ---.

What year did the Landers earthquake happen?

1992 Landers earthquake triggers seismic swarm. On 28 June 1992 , a magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck the Mojave Desert 400 km south of Long Valley caldera. 30 seconds after the S wave of the earthquake had passed, an earthquake swarm was triggered beneath the south-moat of Long Valley.

Where is Crater Lake?

Crater Lake, close to Lake Naivasha, Hells Gate N.P. and Mt. Longonot, Kakuru district, Rift Valley, Kenya (Photo: WNomad) Turquoise water from a river along a small valley with fumaroles. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) Walking along the margin of the lava flow field in Gelingadalur valley (Photo: Ronny Quireyns)

How much CO2 is in Horseshoe Lake?

CO2 trend: The diffuse carbon dioxide gas flux in the Horseshoe Lake tree-kill area has shown little change from the relatively high levels of 50 to 150 tons per day sustained for the past several years.

How tall is the Long Valley Caldera?

Stand on a cluster of domes at 11,030 ft (3,362 m). Excellent viewpoint of Long Valley Caldera and field guide stops from far above.

How long ago did the California volcano erupt?

About 760,000 years ago a catastrophic volcanic eruption blew out 600 cubic kilometers (150 cubic miles) of magma (molten rock) in eastern California over a period of six days (Hildreth and Wilson, 2007). As the magma was ejected, the roof of the magma storage area subsided by about 2 km forming a 17 by 32 km (9 by 18 mile), oval-shaped depression known as the Long Valley Caldera (dash and dot line on map). Over the next 100,000 years volcanism continued on a smaller scale inside the caldera. In the center of the caldera an area was built up by both volcanic flows and uplift caused by buoyant magma at depth. This area, called the Resurgent Dome (yellow on map), has also uplifted about 80 cm (about 2.5 feet) since 1980.

How many stops were there in the California Volcano?

Ten stops were chosen from published scientific field guides and from California Volcano Observatory field trip notes to represent the geology of the area.

When did volcanoes erupt in the Resurgent Domeas?

Lookout Mountain, in the northwest moat (a depression around the ring fracture that formed the Long Valley Caldera) erupted 677,000-692,000 years ago . The Hot Creek ( lava) Flow (brown on map), through which Hot Creek flows, erupted 288,000 years ago. The Hot Creek Flow is referred to on maps as Doe Ridge.

When did Mammoth Mountain erupt?

Mammoth Mountain (green on map) was erupted between 111,000 - 57,000 years ago as a pile of overlapping lava domes. Beginning about 40,000 years ago, many eruptions took place along the Mono-Inyo Crater Chain (orange on map), which extends north to Mono Lake.

When did the Long Valley Caldera eruption occur?

Volcanic activity became concentrated in the vicinity of the present site of Long Valley Caldera 3.1 to 2.5 million years ago with eruptions of rhyodacite followed by high-silica rhyolite from 2.1 to 0.8 million years ago. After some time, a cluster of mostly rhyolitic volcanoes formed in the area. All told, about 1,500 sq mi (3,900 km 2) were covered by lava.

How long is Long Valley?

The valley is one of the Earth's largest calderas, measuring about 20 mi (32 km) long (east-west), 11 mi (18 km) wide (north-south), and up to 3,000 ft (910 m) deep. Long Valley was formed 760,000 years ago when a very large eruption released hot ash that later cooled to form the Bishop tuff that is common to the area.

What is the caldera in Long Valley?

The Long Valley Caldera hosts an active hydrothermal system that includes hot springs, fumaroles (steam vents), and mineral deposits . Hot springs exist primarily in the eastern half of the caldera where land-surface elevations are relatively low; fumaroles exist primarily in the western half where elevations are higher. Mineral deposits from thermal activity are found on an uplifted area called the resurgent dome, at Little Hot Creek springs, Hot Creek Gorge, and other locations in the south and east moats of the caldera.

How tall is Mammoth Mountain?

These domes formed in a long series of eruptions from 110,000 to 57,000 years ago, building a volcano that reaches 11,059 ft (3,371 m) in elevation.

What is the largest tourist attraction in the caldera?

For the history and ecology of the caldera, see Owens Valley. Hilltop Hot Spring. The largest tourist attraction in the caldera is the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area: the area offers skiing and snowboarding in the winter, and mountain biking in the summer.

When did Mono Inyo craters erupt?

The Mono-Inyo Craters erupted from 40,000 to 600 years ago , from a magma source separate from the Long Valley Caldera. The caldera has an extensive hydrothermal system. Casa Diablo Hot Springs at the base of the resurgent dome hosts a geothermal power plant.

How wide is the caldera?

Geography. See also: Volcanic crater. The caldera is a giant bowl-shaped depression, approximately 20 mi (32 km) wide, surrounded by mountains except to the southeast. The elevation of the bottom of the bowl ranges from 6,500 to 8,500 ft (2,000 to 2,600 m), being higher in the west.

What year did the earthquakes occur in Long Valley?

Plot of the cumulative number of earthquakes within Long Valley caldera (dashed line) and beneath Mammoth Mountain (solid line, highlighted in orange) during 2009. The 29 September deep earthquake swarm took place within a longer episode of enhanced seismicity at Mammoth Mountain that lasted from mid-2009 through at least the end of the year. Mammoth Mountain's cumulative 2009 seismicity surpassed that at the rest of the Long Valley caldera area. Courtesy of USGS-LVO.

How much uplift did the caldera show?

In October 1980, a survey along the highway that passes through the caldera showed as much as 25 cm of uplift of the caldera's resurgent dome, possibly within the previous 2 years. A 10 km-long geodimeter line over the dome, remeasured in May 1982, showed 50 cm of lateral spreading since 1978. Dry tilt stations, installed 8-9 May over the earthquake swarm epicentral area, showed no changes when reoccupied about three weeks later.

When was the Caldera seismic swarm?

Table 1. Data from seven seismic swarms at Long Valley Caldera, June 1980-August 1981, courtesy of Alan Ryall. Analysis of data from the 7-8 May 1982 swarm is in progress.

Is Long Valley a Holocene volcano?

The Global Volcanism Program is not aware of any Holocene eruptions from Long Valley. If this volcano has had large eruptions (VEI >= 4) prior to 10,000 years ago, information might be found on the Long Valley page in the LaMEVE (Large Magnitude Explosive Volcanic Eruptions) database, a part of the Volcano Global Risk Identification and Analysis Project (VOGRIPA).

Is there deformation history for Long Valley?

There is no Deformation History data available for Long Valley.

Overview

Geography

Geology

Tourism and hiking

Fatalities

See also

Further reading

External links