Black Rock Desert volcano
Updated: Jun 7, 2023 01:29 GMT -
volcanic field 1800 m / 5,905 ft
Utah (Canada and USA (mainland)), 38.97°N / -112.5°W
Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)
Utah (Canada and USA (mainland)), 38.97°N / -112.5°W
Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)
The Black Rock Desert volcanic field of a group of small volcanic fields in south central Utah, at the eastern margin of the Great Basin. It is the youngest volcanic area in Utah and contains both Utah's youngest known rhyolite dome (0.4 million years old) and its youngest lava flows, the roughly 660-year-old Ice Springs lava flows, located at Ice Springs, 15 km west of Meadow. These lava flows extend 4 km north and west from Black Rock Station.
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Black Rock Desert volcano eruptions: 1290 ± 150 years (radiocarbon dated)
Latest nearby earthquakes
| Time | Mag. / Depth | Distance/Location | ||
| Wednesday, May 31, 2023 GMT (1 quake) | ||||
| May 31, 2023 2:49 am (GMT -6) (May 31, 2023 08:49 GMT) | 1.3 8.1 km | 31 km (19 mi) Utah | ||
Background
The broader Black Rock Desert volcanic field includes several smaller lava fields and eruptive centers:Deseret volcanic field consists of basalt lava flows capping a small plateau about 8 km SW of the town of Deseret.
Pavant volcanic field consists of a prominent cinder cone, Pavant Butte (Sugarloaf Mountain) located about 25 km west of Holden, Utah. The field contains mainly pahoehoe basalt flows around and to the south Pavant Butte, a large 270 m high tuff cone. The field contains many lava tubes.
Kanosh volcanic field includes the Black Rock volcano itself, a dissected cinder cone with basalt lava flows at its base.
Tabernacle volcanic field, located about 8 km northwest of Meadow, is the smallest of the volcanic fields in the Black Rock field and covers an area of about 12 km2. It contains basaltic flows erupted from the base of Tabernacle Hill, a small tuff cone in the center of the field.
Ice Spring volcanic field is the youngest of the field, located about 15 km west of Meadow, and covers an area of 20 km2. The field contains 3 large and several smaller craters: Cresent crater (500 m diameter), Miter crater (300 m), and the collapsed cone of Terrace crater (300 m).
Cove Fort volcanic field, located southwest of Cove Fort. Cove Fort crater is a reddish cinder cone about 1 km in diameter. A basalt lava flow extends 20 km SW of the crater.
Black Rock Desert Photos
Life and lava (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) |
Black cat from Nisyros (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) |
Multiple mirrors formed by pebbles. (c) |
Waves hit the beach pebble of Vlyhada beach (Photo: Tobias Schorr) |
See also: Sentinel hub | Landsat 8 | NASA FIRMS
