Mount Konocti

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Coordinates: 38°58′30″N 122°45′59″W / 38.9748976, -122.7663792

Mount Konocti
Mount Konocti as seen from Clear Lake
Elevation	4,299 feet (1,310 m)
Location	California, USA
Prominence	2,339 feet (713 m)
Coordinates	38°58′30″N 122°45′59″W / 38.9748976, -122.7663792[1]
Topo map	USGS Kelseyville
Type	Stratovolcano
Age of rock	~350,000 years
Easiest route	Konocti Road, a dirt road for vehicles
Pronunciation	[Ko-NOCK-tai]

Mount Konocti is a 4,299 foot (1,310 m) volcano in Lake County, California, on the south shore of Clear Lake. It is the second highest peak in the Clear Lake Volcanic Field, which consists of numerous volcanic domes and cones ranging from 10,000 to 2.1 million years old.

[edit] Geography

The mountain is the most visible landmark in Lake County other than the lake. From the right vantage point, four of the peaks that make up Mt. Konocti look like a giant woman reclining on the shores of Clear Lake. The mountain is located between the towns of Lakeport and Clearlake. It lies directly south of Soda Bay and Riviera Heights and east of Kelseyville. From the summit of Mount Konocti, the taller peaks and ridges around Snow Mountain could be seen to the northeast.

Konocti has five distinctive peaks: Wright Peak (4,299 ft / 1,310 m), Howard Peak (4,286 ft / 1,306 m), South Peak (4,040 ft / 1,231 m), Buckingham Peak (3,967 ft / 1,209 m), and Clark Peak (2,880 ft / 878 m). Wright Peak, Howard Peak, and South Peak make up the main part of the mountain, while Buckingham Peak and Clark Peak are located off to the side. Konocti Road runs about four miles (6 km) west from the Taylor Planetarium & Observatory in the town of Kelseyville, snaking between Howard and South Peaks and ending at the mountain's summit, Wright Peak.

Benson Ridge lies to the south of Clark Peak and west of South Peak. Buckingham Peak lies north of Howard and Wright Peaks and northeast of Clark Peak. South Peak is directly south of Howard Peak and southwest of Wright Peak. Wright Peak lies east and a little north of Howard Peak.

[edit] History

Mount Konocti probably first erupted some 350,000 years ago and last erupted 10,000 years ago. Clear Lake is much older, and is possibly the oldest securely dated lake in North America. Core samples taken by U.S. Geological Survey geologists in 1973 and 1980 have been dated to 480,000 years.

Archaeologists have found evidence that native people, principally Pomo people and Wappo, have inhabited the area around Konocti for as much as 11,000 years. The name "Konocti" is derived from the Pomo "kno", mountain, and "htai", woman.

The mountain is covered with heavy concentrations of chaparral similar to the European maquis shrubland. Oak, Pacific madrone, manzanita, western white pine and other plant species of the California coastal mountains dominate the area. On the northeast slope of Mount Konocti is a steep, heavily forested area known locally as the "Black Forest", because it never gets direct sunshine. The Black Forest contains heavy stands of Douglas fir.

Local people have long known that Konocti is riddled with natural caves. Although most of the natural caves collapsed or were filled in for safety in the early 20th century, persistent local belief holds that Konocti's central magma chamber is a vast, empty vertical cavern, partly filled with Clear Lake water and connecting with the lake via an underground seep. This cavern might be the largest on Earth, though its existence is difficult to prove due to the unstable and eroding structure of the volcano's cone. Heavy vegetation also conceals cave entrances. No accurate map or survey of the caves has been created due to the heavy underbrush and unstable hillsides. Konocti is currently owned by private parties, who have discouraged exploration and study of the mountain in recent years.

Pomo legend has it that around the year 1818, after a long drought, the level of Clear Lake dropped so low that a previously-unknown cave on the eastern flank of Konocti was exposed. A group of Pomo men entered the cave, and discovered a vast underground lake, containing "eyeless fish". Repeated attempts by divers to locate this cave have been unsuccessful.

[edit] References