Cinder Cones Schonchin Butte is just one of dozens of cinder cones that dot the surface of the Medicine Lake shield volcano. These common features form when a volcanic vent throws frothy chunks of lava high into the air. They fall to the ground and rapidly build a steep pile of “cinders.” Like many vents across the Lava Beds landscape, different types of eruptions happened at Schonchin Butte over time. After the cinder cone formed, a massive flow of thicker lava poured out f
Fractured Land Lava Beds National Monument is situated between two regions— the Cascade Range and its volcanoes to the west, and the Great Basin to the east. From this vantage point, you have an excellent view of the broad Tulelake Basin and Gillem Bluff, also called Sheepy Ridge (below). These features are the result of a geologic process called extension. Extension stretches the earth’s crust, developing parallel faults resulting in a succession of peaks and valleys, also
Land of Many Habitats The juniper and sagebrush you see (and smell) around you are a part of a juniper woodland community, one of three plant communities found at Lava Beds. The northern third of the monument is dominated by bunchgrass, sagebrush, and rabbitbrush, while the higher elevations to the south harbor ponderosa pine forest. Immerse yourself in all three to discover the subtle and not so subtle differences.
The Modoc leader, Captain Jack, was caught between peace and war factions. Some Modoc argued that—as in their own tradition—once the leaders of an army were killed, the soldiers would retreat. They pressured Captain Jack to act. Within minutes of a similar attack at Hospital Rock, eight Modoc attacked the commissioners with hidden weapons. When it was over, General Canby and Reverend Eleazar Thomas were dead, and Indian Agent Alfred Meacham lay seriously wounded. The P
Living in Extremes Lava Beds National Monument is a refuge for a variety of species that live together in few other places on earth. Visit in the parching heat of summer or the blustery cold of winter and you may wonder how any animal could survive in this rugged volcanic terrain. But with patience and luck, it is possible to spot a wide variety of animals that do not merely subsist here, but make a comfortable home in this land of extremes. These animals are specially suited
