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Ubehebe Craters

Photo of this volcano
  • Country
  • Primary Volcano Type
  • Last Known Eruption
  •  
  • 37.02°N
  • 117.45°W

  • 752 m
    2467 ft

  • 323160
  • Latitude
  • Longitude

  • Summit
    Elevation

  • Volcano
    Number

The Global Volcanism Program has no activity reports for Ubehebe Craters.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Weekly Reports available for Ubehebe Craters.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Bulletin Reports available for Ubehebe Craters.

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 1 confirmed Holocene eruptive periods.

0150 BCE (?) Confirmed Eruption  

Episode 1 | Eruption Episode
0150 BCE (?) - Unknown Evidence from Correlation: Magnetism

List of 8 Events for Episode 1

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Explosion
   - - - -    - - - - Phreatic activity
   - - - -    - - - - Phreatomagmatic
   - - - -    - - - - Pyroclastic flow
   - - - -    - - - - Ash
   - - - -    - - - - Lapilli
   - - - -    - - - - Bombs
   - - - -    - - - - Scoria
Deformation History

There is no Deformation History data available for Ubehebe Craters.

Emission History

There is no Emissions History data available for Ubehebe Craters.

Photo Gallery

Ubehebe craters are an isolated group of maar volcanoes erupted through nonvolcanic sediments of Death Valley National Park. The craters were formed by hydrovolcanic explosions along a fault. The contact between pre-eruption yellowish- and orange-colored sedimentary rocks and overlying black ash deposits from an early stage scoria cone can be seen at the upper part of the western wall of 800-m wide, 235-m deep Ubehebe crater, the youngest and largest crater.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1974 (Smithsonian Institution).
Bedded pyroclastic-surge deposits from the eruptions forming Ubehebe craters can be seen in this gully south of Little Ubehebe crater. The eruption formed two clusters of explosion craters and tuff rings along a N-S line.

Photo by Lee Siebert (Smithsonian Institution).
Erosional gullies furrow the surface of pyroclastic-surge deposits from the eruptions forming Ubehebe craters in Death Valley, California. The craters were erupted along a fault that forms the western boundary of the Tin Mountain range in the left background.

Photo by Lee Siebert (Smithsonian Institution).
Darker-colored layers of basaltic ash drape the northern rim of Ubehebe Crater in the northern part of Death Valley National Park and spill down the crater walls. The 235-m-deep Ubehebe Crater is the largest of a series of more than a dozen overlapping maars formed by explosive eruptions through fanglomerate deposits, which form the light-colored areas below the ash layers. The Amargosa Range rises on the horizon across Death Valley to the east.

Photo by Paul Kimberly, 1997 (Smithsonian Institution).
GVP Map Holdings

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. The maps database originated over 30 years ago, but was only recently updated and connected to our main database. We welcome users to tell us if they see incorrect information or other problems with the maps; please use the Contact GVP link at the bottom of the page to send us email.


Title: Potential Hazards from Future Volc Eruptions in CA
Publisher: US Geological Survey
Country: United States
Year: 1989
Series: B
Map Type: Geology (Volcanic Hazard)
Scale: 1:500,000
Map of Potential Hazards from Future Volc Eruptions in CA

Title: United States, Mexico
Publisher: DMA Aerospace Center
Country: United States, Mexico
Year: 1988
Series: ONC
Map Type: Topographic
Scale: 1:1,000,000
Map of United States, Mexico

Title: Faults & Geomorphic Maps of CA/ NV
Publisher: California Dept of Conservation, Division of Mines & Geology
Country: United States
Year: 1985
Series: CA Geol Data Maps
Map Type: Geology (Geomorphology)
Scale: 1:500,000
Map of Faults & Geomorphic Maps of CA/ NV

Title: W US /Map of Dist, Comp, Age-Late CZ Volc Centers
Publisher: US Geological Survey
Country: United States
Year: 1984
Series: MI
Map Type: Geology (Volcano)
Scale: 1:2,500,000
Map of W US /Map of Dist, Comp, Age-Late CZ Volc Centers

Title: Technical Map of the Geothermal Resources of CA
Publisher: California Dept of Conservation, Division of Mines & Geology
Country: United States
Year: 1983
Series: CA Geol Data Maps
Map Type: Unknown
Scale: 1:750,000
Map of Technical Map of the Geothermal Resources of CA

Title: Geothermal Resources of CA
Publisher: California Dept of Conservation, Division of Mines & Geology
Country: United States
Year: 1980
Series: CA Geol Data Maps
Map Type: Unknown
Scale: 1:750,000
Map of Geothermal Resources of CA

Title: Geothermal Energy Resources of the Western United States
Publisher: ERDA and USGS
Country: United States
Year: 1977
Map Type: Cultural (Geothermal Resources)
Scale: 1:1,250,000
Map of Geothermal Energy Resources of the Western United States

Title: Goldfield
Publisher: US Geological Survey
Country: United States
Year: 1970
Map Type: Topographic
Scale: 1:250,000
Map of Goldfield

Title: Geologic Map of California
Publisher: CA Division of Mines and Geology
Country: United States
Year: 1944
Series: CA Geol Data Map Series
Map Type: Geology
Scale: 1:750,000
Map of Geologic Map of California
Smithsonian Sample Collections Database

There are no samples for Ubehebe Craters in the Smithsonian's NMNH Department of Mineral Sciences Rock and Ore collection.

External Sites