Lavic Lake volcanic field
Encyclopedia
The Lavic Lake volcanic field is a volcanic field
with extinct cinder cones in the Mojave Desert
, in San Bernardino County, California
, United States
. The lava
field, at 1495 m (4,904.9 ft) elevation, and its cones can be seen from historic Route 66
and from Interstate 40
, between Barstow
to the west and Needles
to the east, and is located southeast of Ludlow, California
.
ic pahoehoe lava plain
and has four Quaternary
(25,000 years old ) cinder cone
type volcano
s, three in the Lavic Dry Lake area, and a fourth located southwest in the Rodman Mountains
.
Of the four cinder cones, Pisgah Crater
stands as the most accessible and prominent volcano in the volcanic field with a height of 100 m (328.1 ft) above the field with a peak elevation of 1595 m (5,232.9 ft), at 34°44′47"N 116°22′30"W. The cone of Pisgah Crater has been modified by mining operations that provide a source of road aggregate.
The biome
is the deserts and xeric shrublands
, with smaller plants growing in soil pockets formed by erosion
, sedimentation
and wind deposits.
Volcanic field
A volcanic field is an area of the Earth's crust that is prone to localized volcanic activity. They usually contain 10 to 100 volcanoes, such as cinder cones and are usually in clusters. Lava flows may also occur...
with extinct cinder cones in the Mojave Desert
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
, in San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,035,210, up from 1,709,434 as of the 2000 census...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
field, at 1495 m (4,904.9 ft) elevation, and its cones can be seen from historic Route 66
U.S. Route 66 in California
In the U.S. state of California, U.S. Route 66 is a former U.S. highway. All the portions were deleted by 1964 during the 1964 renumbering.-History:U.S...
and from Interstate 40
Interstate 40 in California
In the U.S. state of California, Interstate 40 has its western terminus in Barstow. Known as the Needles Freeway, a major east–west route of the Interstate Highway System, it heads east from Barstow across the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County past the Clipper Mountains to Needles,...
, between Barstow
Barstow, California
Barstow is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 22,639 at the 2010 census, up from 21,119 at the 2000 census. Barstow is located north of San Bernardino....
to the west and Needles
Needles, California
Needles is a city located in the Mojave Desert on the western banks of the Colorado River in San Bernardino County, California. It is located in the Mohave Valley, which straddles the California–Arizona border. The city is accessible via Interstate 40 and U.S. Route 95...
to the east, and is located southeast of Ludlow, California
Ludlow, California
Ludlow is a small town in the Mojave Desert on Interstate 40, located in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The older remains of the ghost town are along historic Route 66.-Geography:...
.
Description
The 100 square kilometre Lavic Lake volcanic field is a basaltBasalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
ic pahoehoe lava plain
Lava plain
A lava plain, also called a lava field or lava bed, is a large expanse of nearly flat-lying lava flows. Such features are generally composed of highly-fluid basalt lava, and can extend for tens or even hundreds of miles across the underlying terrain...
and has four Quaternary
Quaternary
The Quaternary Period is the most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the ICS. It follows the Neogene Period, spanning 2.588 ± 0.005 million years ago to the present...
(25,000 years old ) cinder cone
Cinder cone
According to the , Cinder Cone is the proper name of 1 cinder cone in Canada and 7 cinder cones in the United States:In Canada: Cinder Cone In the United States:...
type volcano
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
s, three in the Lavic Dry Lake area, and a fourth located southwest in the Rodman Mountains
Rodman Mountains
The Rodman Mountains are located in the Mojave Desert, in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The range is located south of Interstate 40 and Newberry Springs, and east of the Ord Mountains and northwest of the Bullion Mountains...
.
Of the four cinder cones, Pisgah Crater
Pisgah Crater
Pisgah Crater, or Pisgah Volcano, is a young volcanic cinder cone rising above a lava plain in the Mojave Desert, between Barstow and Needles, California in San Bernardino County, California. The volcanic peak is around south of historic U.S...
stands as the most accessible and prominent volcano in the volcanic field with a height of 100 m (328.1 ft) above the field with a peak elevation of 1595 m (5,232.9 ft), at 34°44′47"N 116°22′30"W. The cone of Pisgah Crater has been modified by mining operations that provide a source of road aggregate.
The biome
Biome
Biomes are climatically and geographically defined as similar climatic conditions on the Earth, such as communities of plants, animals, and soil organisms, and are often referred to as ecosystems. Some parts of the earth have more or less the same kind of abiotic and biotic factors spread over a...
is the deserts and xeric shrublands
Deserts and xeric shrublands
Deserts and xeric shrublands is a biome characterized by, relating to, or requiring only a small amount of moisture.-Definition and occurrence:...
, with smaller plants growing in soil pockets formed by erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
, sedimentation
Sedimentation
Sedimentation is the tendency for particles in suspension to settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained, and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to the forces acting on them: these forces can be due to gravity, centrifugal acceleration...
and wind deposits.
See also
- Amboy CraterAmboy CraterAmboy Crater and Lava Field is an extinct North American cinder cone type of volcano that rises above a lava field in southern California. They are located in the Mojave Desert equidistant and about between Barstow to the west and Needles to the east, and southwest of historic U.S. Route 66, in...
- Pisgah CraterPisgah CraterPisgah Crater, or Pisgah Volcano, is a young volcanic cinder cone rising above a lava plain in the Mojave Desert, between Barstow and Needles, California in San Bernardino County, California. The volcanic peak is around south of historic U.S...
- Cima Dome & Volcanic Field National Natural LandmarkCima Dome & Volcanic Field National Natural LandmarkThe Cima Dome & Volcanic Field National Natural Landmark, or Cinder Cones National Natural Landmark, includes the Cima Dome, Cima Volcanic Field, and Cima Volcanic Range, and is in the Mojave Desert within San Bernardino County, California, United States.The dome and volcanic field with cinder...
- Mojave National PreserveMojave National PreserveMojave National Preserve is located in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, USA, between Interstate 15 and Interstate 40. The preserve was established October 31, 1994 with the passage of the California Desert Protection Act by the US Congress...
- Providence Mountains State Recreation AreaProvidence Mountains State Recreation AreaThe Providence Mountains State Recreation Area is located in the Providence Mountains, within the Mojave National Preserve in San Bernardino County, California...
- Mitchell CavernsMitchell CavernsThe Mitchell's Caverns, within the Mitchell Caverns Natural Preserve, are a trio of limestone caves, located on the east side of the Providence Mountains at an elevation of 4300 ft , within the Providence Mountains State Recreation Area...
- Mojave National Preserve
- Coso Volcanic FieldCoso Volcanic FieldThe Coso Volcanic Field is located in Inyo County, California, at the western edge of the Basin and Range geologic province and northern region of the Mojave Desert. The Fossil Falls are part of the Coso Field, created by the prehistoric Owens River. They are currently within the Naval Air Weapons...