Golden Gate Photo - Lava Beds and Vicinity Gallery
Fine Art Photography from Lava Beds National Monument, Burney Falls, and the Falls of the McCloud River in Northeastern California.
The Lava Beds National Monument was established in 1925. Over 400 caves (lava tubes) have been discovered and more are discovered each year. Lava flows from Mammoth Crater covered the area about 30,000 years ago, forming most of the lava tubes in the monument. Lava tubes are formed when certain types of lava (basalt) flow from a volcano. Just like at Kilauea in Hawai'i, this type of lava is hot (1,800oF, 900oC). The edges of the flow cool quickly in the open air and sometimes slow down and solidify while the underlying lava, insulated from the air, continues to flow hot and fast. When the outpouring of lava ceases, and if the lava has an opening downstream, the lava can drain out, leaving a shell, the lava tube, behind. Some lava tubes form then collapse, leaving surface openings and troughs. Others are so well insulated, that seasonal and perennial ice is formed inside. Many branch and meander like a braided stream. The Lava Beds are part of a larger volcanic terrain called the Modoc Plateau. Spectacular waterfalls form where a river pours over the edge of one of the lava flows. The Modoc Plateau is one of the stops on the Geomorphic Provinces Geotour
Blue Grotto Cave Print No. A99NW-21-12 |
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Multicolored Lava Stalactites, Hopkins Chocolate Cave Print No. A99NW-22-6 |
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Burney Falls Print No. A99NW-23-1 |
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Potholes in Basalt, Falls of the McCloud River Print No. A99NW-23-6 |
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