<--Previous  Up  Next-->



In Lava Beds National Monument (Northern California), these are the "Fleener Chimneys," which were created when volcanic gasses propelled large paste-like globs of lava into the air. The globs of lava then fell back down and plastered themselves into these three irregluarly-shapped spatter cones. The chimneys straddle a large block fault which provides a natural conduit for magmas coming from deep below. This is on the side of one chimney, and shows how the lava flowed. Because of its appearance, it's hard to remember that everything in the picture is solid rock. (09/29/2004)