Mono Lake Volcanic Field

Geography & Climate

Mono Lake Volcanic Field is located in United States, within the Basin and Range Volcanic Province of the broader North America Volcanic Regions. Situated at 38.00° N, 119.03° W in the Northern Hemisphere, the volcano lies within a temperate climate zone. At 2,121 meters above sea level, Mono Lake Volcanic Field rises above the surrounding terrain into montane or subalpine conditions. The elevation creates distinct ecological zones along its flanks, from forested lower slopes to exposed rocky terrain near the summit. The volcanic landform is characterized as a cluster, which describes the physical shape and structure of the volcanic edifice as observed from the surface.

Geological Context

Mono Lake Volcanic Field is situated along a rift zone, where tectonic plates are pulling apart. As the crust thins and fractures, magma rises to fill the gap, creating volcanic activity. Rift volcanism typically produces more fluid lava flows rather than explosive blasts, which means communities near Mono Lake Volcanic Field in United States generally face slower-moving hazards like lava flows and ground fissures rather than sudden pyroclastic events. However, rift volcanoes can still generate significant ash emissions and gas releases that affect local air quality. The dominant rock type is dacite, an intermediate to silica-rich volcanic rock. This composition typically produces more viscous magma, leading to more explosive eruptions with ash columns and pyroclastic flows. Andesitic and dacitic magmas build pressure before erupting, which is why volcanoes with this rock chemistry are often associated with Plinian-style eruptions that can send ash tens of kilometers into the atmosphere and disrupt aviation across entire regions.

Eruption History Summary

Mono Lake Volcanic Field has 5 recorded eruptions in the geological database, spanning from 350 CE to 1890 CE. This eruption frequency indicates a moderately active volcanic system with periodic reawakenings.

Significance

With 5 recorded eruptions on file, Mono Lake Volcanic Field has enough documented activity to help scientists identify patterns in its eruptive behavior.

GVP Reference Summary

The Mono Lake volcanic field east of Yosemite National Park and north of the Mono Craters consists of vents within Mono Lake and on its north shore. The most topographically prominent feature, Black Point, is an initially sublacustral basaltic cone that rises above the NW shore and was formed about 13,300 years ago when Mono Lake was higher. Holocene rhyodacitic lava domes and flows form Negit and parts of Paoha islands off the northern shore and center of the lake, respectively. The most recent eruptive activity in the Long Valley to Mono Lake region took place 100-230 years ago, when lake-bottom sediments forming much of Paoha Island were uplifted by intrusion of a rhyolitic cryptodome (Stine, in Bailey et al., 1989). Spectacular tufa towers line the shores of Mono Lake.

— Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program