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Lava Beds National Monument
- Location & Contact Information
- Address: Tulelake CA 96134
- Telephone Number: +1-530-667-2282
- Official Website: [1]
- Overview
Lava Beds National Monument, located in Siskiyou and Modoc Counties, California, is the site of the largest concentration of lava tube caves in North America. It was established as a United States National Monument on November 21, 1925, occupying over 46,000 acres. Lava Beds National Monument also includes Petroglyph Point, one of the largest panels of Native American rock art in the United States. The monument offers about ten trails through the high desert. Approximately 25 of the lava tube caves have been developed for public use with marked entrances and developed trails.Medicine Lake Volcano from Captain Jacks Stronghold The monument lies on the northeast flank of the Medicine Lake Volcano, the largest volcano (total area covered) in the Cascade Range. The region in and around the monument is unique because it lies on the junction of the Sierra-Klamath, Cascade, and Great Basin physiographic provinces. In addition, the monument is geologically outstanding because of its great variety of textbook volcanic formations; i.e., lava tube caves, fumaroles, cinder cone s, spatter cone s, maars, and lava flows. Over 30 separate lava flows located in the park range in age from 2,000,000 years BP to 1,110 years BP. Some of the major Lava Flows within Lava Beds National Monument include: Callahan Flow, Schonchin Flow, Mammoth Crater Flow, Modoc Crater Flow, and Devils Homestead Flow. Schonchin Butte is an example of a cinder cone. The high elevation, semi-arid desert environment of Lava Beds receives an average of 15 inches (381mm) of annual precipitation. The climate is characterized by warm, dry summers and cold winters. The average annual high temperature is 60 °F (16 °C) and average annual low temperature is 35 °F (2 °C). Temperature extremes range from 18 °F (;minus;28 °C) to 102 °F (39 °C). Average annual snowfall is 44 inches (112cm). The lava tube collapse systems and lava outcrops support a great diversity of plant life, from an impressive variety of lichens and mosses to plants such as desert sweet (Chamaebatiaria millefolium) and the aromatic desert (purple) sage (Salvia dorrii carnosa). An impressive variety of fern species are present in cave entrances including the spreading wood fern (Dryopteris expansa) and the western swordfern (Polystichum munitum). These species are well outside of their normal range 90 - 125 miles away on the northern California coastline. Volcanic eruptions on the Medicine Lake shield volcano have created an incredibly rugged landscape punctuated by cinder cones, lava flows, spatter cones, lava tube caves and pit craters.[1]
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