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Medicine Lake

Photo of this volcano
  • Country
  • Volcanic Region
  • Landform | Volc Type
  • Last Known Eruption
  • 41.611°N
  • 121.554°W

  • 2,412 m
    7,913 ft

  • 323020
  • Latitude
  • Longitude

  • Summit
    Elevation

  • Volcano
    Number


Most Recent Bulletin Report: June 1992 (BGVN 17:06) Citation IconCite this Report

Seismicity apparently triggered by M 7.5 earthquake hundreds of kilometers away

Southern California's largest earthquake since 1952, M 7.5 on 28 June, appeared to trigger seismicity at several volcanic centers in California. It was centered roughly 200 km E of Los Angeles. In the following, David Hill describes post-earthquake activity at Long Valley caldera, and Stephen Walter discusses the USGS's seismic network, and the changes it detected at Lassen, Shasta, Medicine Lake, and the Geysers.

In recent years, the USGS northern California seismic network has relied upon Real-Time Processors (RTPs) to detect, record, and locate earthquakes. However, a film recorder (develocorder) collects data from 18 stations in volcanic areas, primarily to detect long-period earthquakes missed by RTPs. The film recorders proved useful in counting the post-M 7.5 earthquakes, most of which were too small to trigger the RTPs.

The film record was scanned for the 24 hours after the M 7.5 earthquake, noting the average coda duration for each identified event. Some events may have been missed because of seismogram saturation by the M 7.5 earthquake. Marked increases in microseismicity were observed at Lassen Peak, Medicine Lake caldera, and the Geysers (table 1). No earthquakes were observed at Shasta, but the lack of operating stations on the volcano limited the capability to observe small events.

Table 1. Number of earthquakes at northern California volcanic centers during 24-hour periods following major earthquakes on 25 April (40.37°N, 124.32°W; M 7.0) and 28 June (34.18°N, 116.47°W; M 7.5) 1992. Events with coda durations less than or equal to 10 seconds and greater than 10 seconds are tallied separately. Earthquakes were identified from film records of seismograms from nearby stations. Courtesy of Stephen Walter.

Date Lassen Shasta Medicine Lake Geysers
Codas (seconds) <= 10 > 10 <= 10 > 10 <= 10 > 10 <= 10 > 10
25 Apr 1992 0 0 0 1 0 0 7 2
28 Jun 1992 8 14 1 5 12 0 46 4

Film was also scanned for the 24 hours following the M 7.0 earthquake at 40.37°N, 124.32°W (near Cape Mendocino) on 25 April. Although smaller than the 28 June earthquake, its epicenter was only 20-25% as far from the volcanoes. Furthermore, both the 25 April main shock and a M 6.5 aftershock were felt at the volcanic centers, but no felt reports were received from these areas after the 28 June earthquake. Only the Geysers showed any possible triggered events after the 25 April shock. However, background seismicity at the Geysers is higher than at the other centers, and is influenced by fluid injection and withdrawal associated with intensive geothermal development.

Medicine Lake Report. Twelve events were detected in the Medicine Lake area (~900 km NNW of the epicenter) in the 30 minutes after the M 7.5 earthquake. All had coda durations less than or equal to 10 seconds. The lack of any S-P separation indicated that they were centered very close to the single seismic station, near the center of the caldera. All known historical seismicity had occurred in the central caldera as part of a mainshock/aftershock sequence during the fall and winter of 1988-89.

Information Contacts: S. Walter and D. Hill, USGS Menlo Park.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Weekly Reports available for Medicine Lake.

Bulletin Reports - Index

Reports are organized chronologically and indexed below by Month/Year (Publication Volume:Number), and include a one-line summary. Click on the index link or scroll down to read the reports.

09/1988 (SEAN 13:09) Earthquake swarm but no inflation

10/1988 (SEAN 13:10) Occasional seismicity; caldera subsides

11/1988 (SEAN 13:11) Small seismic swarm

06/1992 (BGVN 17:06) Seismicity apparently triggered by M 7.5 earthquake hundreds of kilometers away




Information is preliminary and subject to change. All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


September 1988 (SEAN 13:09) Citation IconCite this Report

Earthquake swarm but no inflation

The quoted material is a report from Steve Walter. "On 29 September, 47 earthquakes were detected at Medicine Lake volcano, a large shield (50 km E of Mt. Shasta) that has experienced only 1 earthquake in the past eight years. The largest event (M 3.1) was located in the SW region of the caldera at a depth of 3.3 km (figure 1). Activity increased on 30 September when a total of 146 earthquakes were registered, 66 during a l-hour period. Four of these events (largest M 4.1) were located near the 29 September earthquake. After 30 September, seismicity declined to ~10 events/day until 4 October when there were 33 events, including a M 3.1 earthquake. Activity again declined with sporadic events (up to 5/day, M less than 2.0) continuing through 16 October. Most of the seismicity was recorded on the nearest instrument at Little Mt. Hoffman, ~4 km W of the epicentral zone. The next nearest stations are over 30 km from Medicine Lake in the Mt. Shasta network. On 3 October, a station was removed from the Mt. Shasta net and established at Medicine Mountain, ~1 km S of the epicentral zone on the S rim of the caldera. Although seismicity has declined, the USGS has selected six sites around the caldera for installation of one 3-component, low-gain, and six 1-component seismometers, scheduled for late October."

Figure (see Caption) Figure 1. Map showing geologic features, earthquake locations (M 3.1), and the road where the levelling survey was conducted. Filled circles are late September-early October events reported in BGVN 13:09. Open circles are post-29 October events. The M 2.0 event is ESE of Medicine Lake Glass Flow. Triangles represent three of the six new sites installed 22 October. LMD is a 3-component site.Epicenter locations courtesy of Steve Walter.

A levelling line, measured along the main caldera access road (figure 1) by Dan Dzurisin in August 1988, indicated at least 18 cm of deflation relative to a 1954 survey. Re-measurements of the same line in early October showed little or no additional deformation. Dzurisin and Phil Dawson attributed recent ground cracks, outside of the epicentral area and circumferential to Little Medicine Lake, as slumping possibly caused by the seismicity. No cracks were observed within the epicentral area, but recent tree falls were evident. Pre-existing weak fumarolic activity had not changed, although not all fumarolic areas were visited.

Information Contacts: S. Walter, USGS Menlo Park; D. Dzurisin, CVO.


October 1988 (SEAN 13:10) Citation IconCite this Report

Occasional seismicity; caldera subsides

"Seismicity... continued sporadically throughout October. As of 15 November, seismicity had declined to several locatable events/week. Most were of M less than 1 with the exception of a M 2 event on 29 October. The installation of a tightly spaced seismic network on 22 October permits even small events to be located. Three well-constrained earthquakes have been located since 29 October in the E, central, and S portions of Medicine Lake glass flow in the NW part of the caldera (figure 1). Depths of recent events are shallow, between 0.5 and 1.5 km. The locations of the recent events show a northward shift from those of the late September swarm. Seismologists are uncertain whether this shift is real or the result of improved locations from the new network."

A levelling line (~16 benchmarks spaced 1.5-2.25 km apart along the main caldera access road through the W, center, and SE portions of the caldera) was reoccupied on three occasions. Relative to a 1954 National Geodetic Survey, August 1988 measurements showed 175 ± 11 mm of central caldera subsidence with respect to the W and S rims, although subsidence extended outside the caldera. An October 1988 survey indicated 8 ± 5 mm of additional subsidence which is within 2-3 standard errors of noise levels. However, the shapes of the long- and short-term deformation curves are similar, with maximum subsidence occurring at the central caldera benchmark, suggesting to geologists that the deformation is real. The line will be relevelled in the spring when snow conditions permit.

Information Contacts: S. Walter, USGS Menlo Park; D. Dzurisin, CVO.


November 1988 (SEAN 13:11) Citation IconCite this Report

Small seismic swarm

Small events recorded late November-early December were attributed to freezing phenomena as winter came to N California. On 13 December at 2035, an M 1.9 earthquake, ~0.25 km SW of Medicine Lake glass flow, was recorded. During the next 75 minutes, nine events (M less than 1.9) were detected, followed by seven events on 14 December from 0121 to 0129. Seismicity was shallow (below 1 km) and had a high-frequency character. The 3-component station (LMD) is not currently operating.

Information Contacts: S. Walter, USGS Menlo Park.


June 1992 (BGVN 17:06) Citation IconCite this Report

Seismicity apparently triggered by M 7.5 earthquake hundreds of kilometers away

Southern California's largest earthquake since 1952, M 7.5 on 28 June, appeared to trigger seismicity at several volcanic centers in California. It was centered roughly 200 km E of Los Angeles. In the following, David Hill describes post-earthquake activity at Long Valley caldera, and Stephen Walter discusses the USGS's seismic network, and the changes it detected at Lassen, Shasta, Medicine Lake, and the Geysers.

In recent years, the USGS northern California seismic network has relied upon Real-Time Processors (RTPs) to detect, record, and locate earthquakes. However, a film recorder (develocorder) collects data from 18 stations in volcanic areas, primarily to detect long-period earthquakes missed by RTPs. The film recorders proved useful in counting the post-M 7.5 earthquakes, most of which were too small to trigger the RTPs.

The film record was scanned for the 24 hours after the M 7.5 earthquake, noting the average coda duration for each identified event. Some events may have been missed because of seismogram saturation by the M 7.5 earthquake. Marked increases in microseismicity were observed at Lassen Peak, Medicine Lake caldera, and the Geysers (table 1). No earthquakes were observed at Shasta, but the lack of operating stations on the volcano limited the capability to observe small events.

Table 1. Number of earthquakes at northern California volcanic centers during 24-hour periods following major earthquakes on 25 April (40.37°N, 124.32°W; M 7.0) and 28 June (34.18°N, 116.47°W; M 7.5) 1992. Events with coda durations less than or equal to 10 seconds and greater than 10 seconds are tallied separately. Earthquakes were identified from film records of seismograms from nearby stations. Courtesy of Stephen Walter.

Date Lassen Shasta Medicine Lake Geysers
Codas (seconds) <= 10 > 10 <= 10 > 10 <= 10 > 10 <= 10 > 10
25 Apr 1992 0 0 0 1 0 0 7 2
28 Jun 1992 8 14 1 5 12 0 46 4

Film was also scanned for the 24 hours following the M 7.0 earthquake at 40.37°N, 124.32°W (near Cape Mendocino) on 25 April. Although smaller than the 28 June earthquake, its epicenter was only 20-25% as far from the volcanoes. Furthermore, both the 25 April main shock and a M 6.5 aftershock were felt at the volcanic centers, but no felt reports were received from these areas after the 28 June earthquake. Only the Geysers showed any possible triggered events after the 25 April shock. However, background seismicity at the Geysers is higher than at the other centers, and is influenced by fluid injection and withdrawal associated with intensive geothermal development.

Medicine Lake Report. Twelve events were detected in the Medicine Lake area (~900 km NNW of the epicenter) in the 30 minutes after the M 7.5 earthquake. All had coda durations less than or equal to 10 seconds. The lack of any S-P separation indicated that they were centered very close to the single seismic station, near the center of the caldera. All known historical seismicity had occurred in the central caldera as part of a mainshock/aftershock sequence during the fall and winter of 1988-89.

Information Contacts: S. Walter and D. Hill, USGS Menlo Park.

This compilation of synonyms and subsidiary features may not be comprehensive. Features are organized into four major categories: Cones, Craters, Domes, and Thermal Features. Synonyms of features appear indented below the primary name. In some cases additional feature type, elevation, or location details are provided.

Eruptive History

There is data available for 9 confirmed Holocene eruptive periods.

[ 1910 Jan ] Uncertain Eruption

Episode 1 | Eruption East flank (Glass Mountain ?)
1910 Jan - Unknown Evidence from Unknown

List of 4 Events for Episode 1 at East flank (Glass Mountain ?)

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Phreatic activity Uncertain
   - - - -    - - - - Flames
   - - - -    - - - - Earthquakes (undefined)
1910 Jan    - - - - VEI (Explosivity Index)

1060 (?) Confirmed Eruption VEI: 3 (?)

Episode 1 | Eruption Upper east flank (Glass Mountain)
1060 (?) - Unknown Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)

List of 6 Events for Episode 1 at Upper east flank (Glass Mountain)

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Explosion
   - - - -    - - - - Lava flow
   - - - -    - - - - Lava flow Obsidian.
   - - - -    - - - - Lava dome
   - - - -    - - - - Pumice
1080 ± 25 years    - - - - VEI (Explosivity Index)

1010 (?) Confirmed Eruption VEI: 3

Episode 1 | Eruption SW flank (Little Glass Mountain)
1010 (?) - Unknown Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)

List of 8 Events for Episode 1 at SW flank (Little Glass Mountain)

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Explosion
   - - - -    - - - - Lava flow
   - - - -    - - - - Lava flow Obsidian.
   - - - -    - - - - Lava dome
   - - - -    - - - - Ash
   - - - -    - - - - Lapilli
   - - - -    - - - - Pumice
0890 ± 100 years    - - - - VEI (Explosivity Index)

0840 (?) Confirmed Eruption  

Episode 1 | Eruption SW flank (Paint Pot Crater)
0840 (?) - Unknown Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)

List of 3 Events for Episode 1 at SW flank (Paint Pot Crater)

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Explosion
   - - - -    - - - - Lava flow
   - - - -    - - - - Cinder Cone

0830 (?) Confirmed Eruption  

Episode 1 | Eruption North flank, Callahan lava flow
0830 (?) - Unknown Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)

List of 3 Events for Episode 1 at North flank, Callahan lava flow

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Explosion
   - - - -    - - - - Lava flow
   - - - -    - - - - Cinder Cone

0780 (?) Confirmed Eruption  

Episode 1 | Eruption NE caldera rim (Mt. Hoffman area)
0780 (?) - Unknown Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)

List of 3 Events for Episode 1 at NE caldera rim (Mt. Hoffman area)

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Explosion
   - - - -    - - - - Lava flow
   - - - -    - - - - Lava flow Obsidian.

1000 BCE (?) Confirmed Eruption  

Episode 1 | Eruption SE flank, Burnt Lava flow
1000 BCE (?) - Unknown Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)

List of 4 Events for Episode 1 at SE flank, Burnt Lava flow

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Explosion
   - - - -    - - - - Lava flow
   - - - -    - - - - Cinder Cone
   - - - -    - - - - Scoria

1130 BCE (?) Confirmed Eruption VEI: 0

Episode 1 | Eruption Lower north flank (Black Crater)
1130 BCE (?) - Unknown Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)

List of 2 Events for Episode 1 at Lower north flank (Black Crater)

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Lava flow
1080 BCE ± 50 years    - - - - VEI (Explosivity Index)

3090 BCE Confirmed Eruption  

Episode 1 | Eruption SE caldera rim
3090 BCE - Unknown Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)

List of 3 Events for Episode 1 at SE caldera rim

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Explosion
   - - - -    - - - - Lava flow
   - - - -    - - - - Scoria

3190 BCE (?) Confirmed Eruption VEI: 0

Episode 1 | Eruption NW caldera floor (Medicine Lake Glass flow)
3190 BCE (?) - Unknown Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)

List of 3 Events for Episode 1 at NW caldera floor (Medicine Lake Glass flow)

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Lava flow Obsidian.
   - - - -    - - - - Lava flow
0050 BCE
(?)
   - - - - VEI (Explosivity Index)
Deformation History

There is data available for 1 deformation periods. Expand each entry for additional details.


Deformation during 1993 Apr 28 - 2000 Jul 29 [Subsidence; Observed by InSAR]

Start Date: 1993 Apr 28 Stop Date: 2000 Jul 29 Direction: Subsidence Method: InSAR
Magnitude: Unknown Spatial Extent: 15.00 km Latitude: Unknown Longitude: Unknown

Remarks: Subsidence due to surface loading, extension, and/or cooling

Figure (see Caption)

InSAR data from the MLV region. A) Stack of three interferograms acquired by ERS-1 (orbits 9827 and 21193) and ERS-2 (orbits 22562 and 27572), from track 163, frame 828. The aerial extent of MLV lava flows is noted by a dotted line. MLV caldera is outlined by a dashed line. The total time spanned by the interferogram is 1993?2000. Each full color cycle represents 28.3 mm of line-of-sight range change. Note that although coherence is incomplete, there are approximately 2 color fringes surrounding Medicine Lake volcano that indicate line-of-sight lengthening. B) Profile of line-of-sight displacement in mm/yr along the Y?Z transect shown in part A. Arrows show the approximate extent of the MLV edifice (from topography) and MLV lavas (from Donnelly-Nolan, 1988). Because the ERS satellites have steep look angles (~228) displacements are approximately vertical. Deformation from InSAR is in good agreement with leveling results, both of which show subsidence maximized within MLV caldera and decaying with radial distance.

From: Poland et al. 2006b.


Reference List: Poland et al. 2006b.

Full References:

Poland, M., R. Bürgmann, D. Dzurisin, M. Lisowski, T. Masterlark, S. Owen, and J. Fink, 2006. Constraints on the mechanism of long-term, steady subsidence at Medicine Lake volcano, northern California, from GPS, leveling, and InSAR. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 150: 55-78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2005.07.007

Emission History

There is no Emissions History data available for Medicine Lake.

Photo Gallery

The Little Glass Mountain obsidian flow is seen from Little Mount Hoffman on the western rim of Medicine Lake caldera with Mount Shasta in the background. The flow was erupted on the SW flank of Medicine Lake volcano a little more than 950 years ago. The light-colored rounded peak in line with Mount Shasta is Pumice Stone Mountain, which is overlain by pumice from the Little Glass Mountain eruption. A series of smaller flows to the NE known as the Crater Glass Flows were erupted at about the same time.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1981 (Smithsonian Institution).
The summit of Schonchin Butte in Lava Beds National Monument provides a view of step-like Basin-and-Range faulting to the NW. The dark lava flow at the base of the closest scarp is the late-Pleistocene Devils Homestead lava flow. Parallel to, and just in front, of that are 3,000-year-old lava flows from fissures at Black Crater and Ross Chimneys.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1981 (Smithsonian Institution).
Schonchin Butte, a late-Pleistocene scoria cone on the north flank of Medicine Lake volcano, is one of the prominent landmarks of Lava Beds National Monument. A large number of lava tubes in the area fed late-Pleistocene and Holocene lava flows.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1981 (Smithsonian Institution).
The massive Medicine Lake volcano in NE California, seen here from the NE, encompasses a 50 x 80 km wide area. Holocene eruptions included obsidian flows from summit and flank vents, and voluminous basaltic lava flows from vents on the north and south flanks. Recent eruptions took place about 900 years ago. The summit area includes a 7 x 11 km caldera.

Photo by Julie Donnely-Nolan, 1982 (U.S. Geological Survey).
Medicine Lake Volcano's summit caldera is seen here from the east rim, with Mount Shasta in the background. The 7 x 12 km caldera, the source of Medicine Lakes largest eruption, (~180 ka) is partially filled by Medicine Lake, Medicine Lake Glass Flow (on the right) that erupted ~5,200 years ago, and the older Lake Basalt flow (~89 ka; in the foreground). During the Holocene several obsidian flows have erupted inside and along the rim of the caldera with large pumice deposits, and voluminous basalts have erupted on the flanks.

Photo by Peter Lipman, 1981 (U.S. Geological Survey).
Medicine Lake volcano is seen here looking over the summit crater from the east with Mount Shasta in the background. The barren Medicine Glass Flow on the right was erupted about 5,200 years ago. During the Holocene, obsidian flows were erupted from summit and flank vents, and voluminous basaltic lava flows originated from vents on the north and south flanks.

Photo by Dan Dzurisin, 1985 (U.S. Geological Survey).
This aerial photo shows the lobate morphology of the Glass Mountain obsidian flow, which erupted around 950 years ago from a series of vents near the buried east rim of Medicine Lake caldera. The eruption originated from a series of NW-SE-trending vents, seen here diagonally across the photo from the upper left. Three dacite flows to the east are overlain by rhyolite flows towards the west. The flow at lower left is the dacitic Hoffman flow, erupted only a few hundred years prior to the Glass Mountain flow.

Photo by U.S. Geological Survey (published in Green and Short, 1971).
The andesitic Burnt Lava flow covering about 37 km2 of the SE flank of Medicine Lake volcano was erupted from the High Hole Crater cinder cone. The Burnt Lava flow was the largest from Medicine Lake during the Holocene and had a volume of 0.45 cu km. The symmetrical High Hole Crater contains a double summit crater. The Burnt Lava flow, which was erupted from both High Hole Crater and adjacent fissures, surrounded two older cinder cones, one of which forms the forested ridge at the left.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1998 (Smithsonian Institution).
The most voluminous Holocene lava flow on the southern flank of Medicine Lake volcano is known as the Burnt Lava flow. The flow, which originated from High Hole Crater and nearby fissure vents, covers 37 km2. The flow is dominantly aa lava, but also includes some pahoehoe. This photo shows the NW margin of the flow, which was erupted about 2750 years ago.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1998 (Smithsonian Institution).
The broad 50-km-wide Medicine Lake volcano in the southern Cascade Range, seen here from the NE, is an example of a shield volcano in a continental margin setting. Its chemistry is more diverse than Hawaiian shield volcanoes and it has produced both basaltic lava flows, rhyolitic tephra, and obsidian flows during the Holocene. Eruptions have occurred during the past 6,000 years from vents within a 7 x 11 km summit caldera and from other vents on its flanks.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1998 (Smithsonian Institution).
Despite its youthful appearance, the Devils Homestead lava flow in the foreground is slightly more than 10,000 years old. Erosional modification of lava flow surfaces proceeds slowly in arid regions. The Devils Homestead flow is one of the largest on the north flank of Medicine Lake volcano, the broad shield volcano on the horizon. Flank cinder cones dot the slopes of the chemically diverse shield volcano, which has produced both the basaltic cinder cones and lava flows seen here, and dacitic and rhyolitic pumice and lava flows.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1998 (Smithsonian Institution).
Lava Beds National Monument contains nearly 300 lava-tube caves associated with fluid basaltic lava flows on the flanks of Medicine Lake volcano in northern California. The sides of this large lava tube, known as Valentine Cave, show the pronounced "bathtub rings" left by lava flowing through the tube. Valentine Cave is an example of a lava tube from which lava almost completely drained. The Valentine lava flow was erupted about 10,850 radiocarbon years ago, and is one of the largest flows on the northern flank of Medicine Lake caldera.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1998 (Smithsonian Institution).
Minor amounts of basaltic lava were erupted about 3000 years ago from spatter cones at Black Crater and Ross Chimneys on the lower northern flank of Medicine Lake volcano. The spatter cone in the foreground was the vent for the sparsely vegetated small overlapping pahoehoe lava flows in the middle part of the photo. The dark lava flow in the distance in front of a fault block of older lavas, is the late-Pleistocene Devils Homestead lava flow.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1988 (Smithsonian Institution).
Medicine Lake, a popular camping and recreation destination in northern California, is a small 2-km-long lake that occupies the SW side of Medicine Lake caldera. The forested southern rim of the 7 x 11 km caldera forms the horizon. Medicine Lake volcano is known for its young obsidian flows within the caldera and on its flanks.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1988 (Smithsonian Institution).
Cinder Butte (upper left) on the north side of massive Medicine Lake volcano was the source of a voluminous lava flow that is the most recent on the volcano's north flank. The cone is seen here from the east from the rim of Mammoth Crater in Lava Beds National Monument. Cinder Butte was formed during an eruption about 800 CE that also produced the sparsely vegetated Callahan lava flow, which can be seen extending down the north flank to the right.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1998 (Smithsonian Institution).
The basaltic Callahan lava flow, erupted from the Cinder Butte cone, is the largest Holocene lava flow on the north flank of Medicine Lake volcano. The broad Callahan flow is seen here from the reddish oxidized rim of Cinder Butte diverging around an older cinder cone to the north. The flow was dated from radiometric and paleomagnetic evidence at about 800 CE. The Callahan flow is chemically zone, with initial lavas being andesitic and later lavas basaltic.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1998 (Smithsonian Institution).
The Glass Mountain obsidian flow, seen here from Lyons Peak on the east rim of Medicine Lake caldera, was erupted from a series of vents just outside the buried inferred eastern rim of the caldera. The youthful, steep-sided rhyolitic and dacitic flow is both the largest and youngest of a series of Holocene rhyolitic and dacitic flows at Medicine Lake. The 1 cu km flow was erupted about 900 years ago. The flow traveled a short distance west (left) into the caldera, but mostly flowed down the eastern flank, reaching a point about 6 km from its source.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1998 (Smithsonian Institution).
The Glass Mountain obsidian flow buries much of the eastern rim of Medicine Lake caldera. The massive 1 cu km flow traveled south towards Lyons Peak (upper right) before the bulk of the flow was diverted to the east and descended the caldera's outer flank. The latest event at Glass Mountain produced the craggy rhyolitic obsidian dome seen in the foreground. The roughly 900-year-old flow is the youngest and largest of a series of Holocene rhyolitic and dacitic lava flows at Medicine Lake.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1998 (Smithsonian Institution).
Blocks of glassy obsidian reflect sunlight from the surface of a rhyolitic lava dome marking the latest eruptive event during extrusion of the Glass Mountain lava flow. The composite flow originated from more than a dozen NW-SE-trending vents near the eastern rim of the Medicine Lake caldera. Part of the massive obsidian flow seen on the left side of the photo traveled west into the caldera. Snow-capped Mount Shasta towers above the forested caldera rim to the west.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1998 (Smithsonian Institution).
The broad partially forested lava flow extending across the center of the photo into Medicine Lake caldera is the Hoffman lava flow, which erupted about 1,170 years ago. The massive rhyolite lava flow and an adjacent smaller one were erupted from vents on the NE rim of the caldera. The larger of the two flows, seen here with the unvegetated Glass Mountain flow in the foreground, was erupted near the caldera rim and flowed both west into the caldera and down the east flank. Snow-capped Mount Shasta rises to the west.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1998 (Smithsonian Institution).
The western terminus of the Hoffman dacite lava flow forms a steep blocky slope up to about 50 m in height. The flows originated from six or more NW-SE-trending vents. The larger of the two flows (seen here) was erupted near the eastern caldera rim and flowed primarily west into the caldera, although a smaller portion traveled to the east.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1998 (Smithsonian Institution).
The Medicine Lake lava flow, seen here from the NW with Medicine Lake in the background, was erupted onto the caldera floor from a vent near the northern caldera rim. The flat-lying, viscous 0.08 km3 lava flow is not precisely dated, but is known from stratigraphic evidence to have been emplaced sometime between the roughly 780 BCE Burnt Lava flow and the roughly 720 CE Hoffman flow.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1998 (Smithsonian Institution).
This crater on the SE rim of Medicine Lake caldera formed around 5,100 years ago. The eruption produced tephra and spatter with localized lava flows from a NE-trending alignment of pit craters.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1998 (Smithsonian Institution).
The Little Glass Mountain obsidian flow is seen here from Pumice Stone Mountain, named for the mantle of white pumice (foreground) from Little Glass Mountain. The 0.4 km3 obsidian flow was erupted from a currently buried vent below the Little Mt. Hoffman cone seen here behind the flow. The Little Glass Mountain pumice eruption and obsidian flow occurred about 950 years ago during one of the more recent eruptions from Medicine Lake.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1998 (Smithsonian Institution).
The steep-sided SW margin of the Little Glass Mountain obsidian flow rises above the surrounding forested flanks of Medicine Lake volcano. Eruption of the rhyolitic lava flow was preceded by a pumice eruption that mantled the surrounding area (including the basaltic cone of Pumice Stone Mountain in the foreground) with white pumice. The 0.4 km3 Little Glass Mountain lava flow is the second largest silicic lava flow at Medicine Lake.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1998 (Smithsonian Institution).
The back side of light-colored Paint Pot Crater and Pumice Stone Mountain, from where the photo was taken, are mantled by white pumice from the eruption that preceded the extrusion of the nearby Little Glass Mountain obsidian flow. The formation of Paint Pot Crater and the associated extrusion of the lava flow that forms the sparsely vegetated area south (right) of the cone occurred about 1100-1150 years ago, only shortly before the major Little Glass Mountain eruption.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1998 (Smithsonian Institution).
Paint Pot Crater on the lower SW flank of Medicine Lake volcano derives its name from the mantle of white pumice from nearby Little Glass Mountain that covers the reddish oxidized scoria of the cinder cone. Paint Pot Crater emitted a lava flow from its breached crater that traveled to the south, where it forms the sparsely vegetated area seen in the photo beyond the far rim of the cone. The crater and lava flow are among the youngest products of Medicine Lake volcano, and were erupted about 1100-1150 years ago.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1998 (Smithsonian Institution).
The broad Medicine Lake shield volcano, seen here on the horizon from Soldier Mountain to its south, is truncated by a 7 x 11 km caldera. Medicine Lake volcano has erupted lavas of widely varying composition ranging from basalt to rhyolite. The largest eruption of Medicine Lake during the past 11,000 years produced a massive basaltic lava flow from Giant Crater about 10,600 years ago. The flow traveled a distance of 45 km down the broad valley in the center of the photo from its vent on the SSW flank.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1998 (Smithsonian Institution).
The Medicine Lake volcanic center covers around 2,200 km2, with recent lava flows shown in this August 2019 Planet Labs satellite image monthly mosaic (N is at the top; this image is approximately 10 km across). These lava flows at Big Glass Mountain erupted along the eastern caldera rim and ten lava domes formed in a NW trend, with one lava dome to the south. The western lava flow in this view flowed into the caldera and the eastern flows traveled down the flank.

Satellite image courtesy of Planet Labs Inc., 2019 (https://www.planet.com/).
GVP Map Holdings

Maps are not currently available due to technical issues.

The maps shown below have been scanned from the GVP map archives and include the volcano on this page. Clicking on the small images will load the full 300 dpi map. Very small-scale maps (such as world maps) are not included.

Smithsonian Sample Collections Database

The following 48 samples associated with this volcano can be found in the Smithsonian's NMNH Department of Mineral Sciences collections, and may be availble for research (contact the Rock and Ore Collections Manager). Catalog number links will open a window with more information.

Catalog Number Sample Description Lava Source Collection Date
NMNH 110060-1 Rhyolitic Obsidian BIG GLASS MOUNTAIN --
NMNH 110060-2 Rhyolitic Obsidian BIG GLASS MOUNTAIN --
NMNH 110060-3 Rhyolitic Obsidian BIG GLASS MOUNTAIN --
NMNH 110060-4 Obsidian BIG GLASS MOUNTAIN --
NMNH 110060-5 Obsidian BIG GLASS MOUNTAIN --
NMNH 110060-6 Rhyolitic Obsidian BIG GLASS MOUNTAIN --
NMNH 110060-7 Rhyolitic Obsidian BIG GLASS MOUNTAIN --
NMNH 113026-1 Basalt -- --
NMNH 113026-10 Basalt -- --
NMNH 113026-11 Basalt -- --
NMNH 113026-12 Basalt -- --
NMNH 113026-13 Basalt -- --
NMNH 113026-14 Basalt -- --
NMNH 113026-15 Basalt -- --
NMNH 113026-16 Basalt -- --
NMNH 113026-17 Basalt -- --
NMNH 113026-18 Basalt -- --
NMNH 113026-19 Basalt -- --
NMNH 113026-2 Basalt -- --
NMNH 113026-20 Basalt -- --
NMNH 113026-21 Basalt -- --
NMNH 113026-22 Basalt -- --
NMNH 113026-23 Basalt -- --
NMNH 113026-24 Basalt -- --
NMNH 113026-25 Basalt -- --
NMNH 113026-26 Basalt -- --
NMNH 113026-27 Basalt -- --
NMNH 113026-28 Basalt -- --
NMNH 113026-29 Basalt -- --
NMNH 113026-3 Basalt -- --
NMNH 113026-30 Basalt -- --
NMNH 113026-31 Basalt -- --
NMNH 113026-4 Basalt -- --
NMNH 113026-5 Basalt -- --
NMNH 113026-6 Basalt -- --
NMNH 113026-7 Basalt -- --
NMNH 113026-8 Basalt -- --
NMNH 113026-9 Basalt -- --
NMNH 115401-2 Obsidian GLASS MT --
NMNH 115401-3 Obsidian GLASS MT --
NMNH 115401-4 Obsidian GLASS MT --
NMNH 115401-5 Obsidian GLASS MT --
NMNH 115401-6 Obsidian GLASS MT --
NMNH 116700-18 Dacite THREE SISTERS --
NMNH 117460-36 Obsidian Hoffman flow; Hoffman, Mt. --
NMNH 117460-37 Obsidian Hoffman flow; Hoffman, Mt. --
NMNH 117460-38 Obsidian Hoffman, Mt. --
NMNH 117460-39 Obsidian Hoffman, Mt. --
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