Hitting the Road: California's Volcanic Lands

There are lots of volcanoes in California, in the deserts, the eastern Sierra Nevada, even in the Coast Ranges, but the most recent and most diverse volcanoes are in the north state, in the Cascades Range and the Modoc Plateau. I'm headed up there tomorrow with my students.

 We are spending our time in Lava Beds National Monument which sits on the flank of California's biggest volcano (surprise! It's not Mt. Shasta...or Lassen Peak either).

We'll have a look at Mt. Shasta, which is the tallest volcano in California, and probably the biggest stratovolcano in the Cascades...

We'll finish our studies at Lassen Volcanic National Park, site of the last eruption in California, in 1914-17. With a bit of luck maybe a small cinder cone will erupt harmlessly somewhere near us along the way! Geotripper will return in a few days...