Many USGS monuments pay tribute to volcanoes or past volcanic activity.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) observes and researches the geologic activity and history at many U.S. national parks and monuments. Many of these monuments make excellent travel destinations for individuals interested in geology, nature, and U.S. history.
Craters of the Moon National Monument
Volcanic lava flows created Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho approximately 2,000 years ago, according to the USGS. The monument encompasses three black lava fields and their surrounding grasslands. According to the USGS, the monument has a 7-mile loop at its north end that visitors can drive along. It also offers lots of hiking. The lava at Craters of the Moon spans 618 square miles and has more than 25 volcanic cones.
Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument
The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument sits in the middle of the Cascade, Siskiyou, and Klamath mountain ranges in Oregon. According to the USGS, the monument contains lots of ecologic diversity and a very rugged landscape. The monument area also contains Pilot Rock, the interior of a very old volcano whose exterior eroded away. The area around Pilot Rock contains interesting fossils formed when organisms became trapped in volcanic ash millions of years ago.
John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
As the John Day River in Oregon flowed along volcanic deposits, it eroded the deposits and exposed interesting fossils. The monument displays fossils from over 40 million years of the Cenozoic Era. It spans 14,000 acres and has three separate locations along the river. Volcanic ash produced colorful layers of deposits and also created rich soils that support grasses and hardwood forests.
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument is a volcanic scoria cone in Arizona. The monument contains one of the youngest of its type of volcanic cones in the continental U.S. An eruption formed the cone sometime around the year 1250 C.E., according to the USGS. The monument got its name because of the sunset-like red and orange colors on the cone's summit.
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
Mount St. Helens Volcano erupted for nine hours in May of 1980. According to the U.S. Forest Service, it buried or blew away close to 230 square miles of forest and created a giant cloud of ashes that fell all over Eastern Washington and other surrounding areas. Two years after the eruption, Congress and President Reagan made 110,000 acres of the mountain and its surrounding areas a national monument. The monument allows scientists to observe and research how the environment in the area responds to the eruption naturally over time. Visitors can take in many spectacular views and hiking trails at the monument.
Tags: National Monument, USGS monument, Craters Moon, according USGS monument, Cascade-Siskiyou National, Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument
