Audio
Lassen Audio Tour Stop 12 - Hot Rock
Transcript
Stop 12. Hot Rock One of the most dramatic examples of the tremendous power of the mudflow of May 19, 1915 is the huge dacite boulder on the west side of the park highway here. This is a 300-ton block of lava that erupted from Lassen Peak and came cascading down the mountain amidst trees, rock, and meltwater from the snows of Lassen’s east flank. The rock ended up here, five miles from the summit crater. When B.F. Loomis first saw the rock on the morning of May 22, it was still sizzling amidst the muddy water that surrounded it and became known as one of the “hot rocks” that are scattered throughout the forest here.
On the east side of the highway, another kind of violent energy swept through this area during the Reading Fire in July, 2012. Ignited by lightning strikes, the fire affected 17,000 acres of the park and created a mosaic of burned and unburned areas. Just as the forest returned to Lassen’s barren slopes following its eruptions, plants and wildlife thrive in the open forest cleared by the fire. Fire is a natural part of ecosystems, but our changing climate is leading to more frequent and destructive fire events. Lessons learned from the Reading Fire will help us to better manage fire throughout our forests.
Description
This huge dacite boulder is one of the most dramatic examples of the tremendous power of the mudflow of May 19, 1915.
Credit
NPS
Date Created
09/01/2018
Copyright and Usage Info