Big Lava Bed
| Big Lava Bed | |
|---|---|
 The forested slope in the foreground is part of the Big Lava Bed, a 0.9 cu km lava flow erupted from the cinder cone in the background about 8200 years ago. The lava flow traveled 13 km from the source crater and is the youngest feature of the Indian Heaven volcanic field. | |
| Elevation | 4,195 feet (1,279 m) |
| Location | |
| Location | Skamania County, Washington, U.S. |
| Range | Cascade Range |
| Coordinates | 45°54′N 121°45′W / 45.9°N 121.75°W[1] |
| Geology | |
| Type | Fissure vent, Cinder cone, Explosive eruption, and lava field[2][3] |
| Age of rock | 6250 BC ± 100 years, in the late Pleistocene to Holocene |
| Volcanic arc/belt | Indian Heaven |
| Last eruption | 8200 years ago[4] |
The Big Lava Bed, located in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in the southwestern area of the State of Washington, originated from a 500-foot-deep crater in the northern center of the bed. The Big Lava Bed is the youngest feature of the Indian Heaven volcanic field. The 0.9-cubic kilometer lava flow erupted from the cinder cone about 8200 years ago. The lava flow traveled 13 km from the source crater. Lodgepole pine, alder, and other pioneer plants struggle to grow, seen sparsely growing between and amid towering rock piles, caves, and strange lava formations. Access into the interior of the lava bed is difficult, since there are no roads or trails crossing the lava field. Explorers who wish to venture deep within the lava flow are advised to choose their route carefully. Compasses are not always reliable, since local magnetic influences affect their magnetic performance in the vast expanse of rock.[5]
Geology
Lemei Rock is one of the many shield volcanoes topped by cinder cones and spatter cones that make up the Indian Heaven Volcanic Field. About 60 eruptive centers lie on the 19-mile (30 km) long, N10°E-trending, Indian Heaven fissure zone. The 230 square miles (600 km2) field has a volume of about 20 cubic miles (100 km3) and forms the western part of a 770-square-mile (2,000 km2) Quaternary basalt field in the southern Washington Cascades, including the King Mountain fissure zone along which Mount Adams was built.
| Name | Elevation | Location | Last eruption | |
| meters | feet | Coordinates | ||
| Big Lava Bed | 1,278.6 | 4,195 | 45°54′N 121°45′W / 45.9°N 121.75°W | ~8150 years ago |
| Bird Mountain | 5,706 | 1,739 | 46°02′21″N 121°46′52″W / 46.0392°N 121.78106°W | ~8,200 years ago |
| Crazy Hills | ||||
| East Crater | 1,614 | 5,295 | 46°00′N 121°47′W / 46°N 121.78°W | ~8,200 years ago |
| Gifford Peak | 1,614 | 5,295 | ~8,200 years ago | |
| Lemei Rock | 1,806 | 5,925 | 46°1′6″N 121°45′36″W / 46.01833°N 121.76000°W | ~8,200 years ago |
| Lone Butte | 1,457 | 4,780 | 46°03′N 121°52′W / 46.05°N 121.87°W | ~8,200 years ago |
| Red Mountain | 1,513 | 4,964 | 45°56′N 121°49′W / 45.93°N 121.82°W | ~8,200 years ago |
| Sawtooth Mountain | 1,632 | 5,354 | 46°04′N 121°47′W / 46.07°N 121.78°W | ~8,200 years ago |
See also
- Lava field
- Cascade Volcanoes
- List of volcanoes in the United States of America
- Indian Heaven
- Indian Heaven Wilderness
References
- ↑ "Global Volcanism Program - Indian Heaven - Synonyms and Subfeatures". Retrieved 19 April 2013.
- ↑ "Global Volcanism Program - Indian Heaven". Retrieved 19 April 2013.
- ↑ "Global Volcanism Program - Indian Heaven - Synonyms and Subfeatures". Retrieved 19 April 2013.
- ↑ "Global Volcanism Program - Indian Heaven - Subsection: Photos". Retrieved 19 April 2013.
- ↑ "About the Forest - Subsection: Big Lava Bed". Retrieved 19 April 2013.