Comments on: Horseshoe Lake and Bumpass Hell http://blog.niceperson.org/2008/08/06/horseshoe-lake-and-bumpass-hell/ Making it up as I go along. Mon, 07 Feb 2011 18:34:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Jeff http://blog.niceperson.org/2008/08/06/horseshoe-lake-and-bumpass-hell/comment-page-1/#comment-1829 Jeff Sat, 02 May 2009 03:53:33 +0000 http://blog.niceperson.org/?p=690#comment-1829 Bumpass hell is great. It's just about the southern tip of the the Western US volcanic arc. The places to look are Northern California through Southern British Columbia in the Cascades. That's the Andean-style volcanic arc from the Cascadia Trench (which runs from Mendocino, CA to just offshore from the northern tip of Vancouver Island, BC). Pretty much your best bets are going to be just the West Coast, since it has the active tectonic margins. There's a few places on the California Coast along the San Andreas Fault System. For instance, The Geysers just north of the Bay Area. It doesn't have any geysers, just more fumaroles and mudpots--the misnamed it. It might not be a great tourist destination, since it's one of the largest geothermal installations in the country (I haven't been up there yet, they might do tours). You can find stuff in the Coast Ranges in California, Oregon and Washington, like the aformentioned Geysers. Olympic National Park has a few hot springs, but no real volcanism. Don't miss Mt. St. Helens, which you may or may not be able to get close to. It went back into an active cycle in Fall of 2004 and I believe it has had a few small eruptions in the last couple of months. Northern BC to Southern Alaska may or may not be a bust, since they are along a transform margin (like California south of Mendocino), but the Aleutians and mountains along the south coast of the main mass of Alaska are along a subduction zone. In fact, there was a large volcanic eruption there within a month of Bobby Jindal saying "Why are we wasting $160 million on a volcano watch program?" on national TV. (God is, despite all claims, apparently not on Jindal's side...) So, I don't have anything much more specific than Lassan, St. Helens and a few other spots here and there, and, oh yeah, the elephant in the room--Yellowstone (it's over a hot spot and/or megavolcano in the center of the continental plate--it's a freak of nature, since its volcanism isn't driven by plate tectonics at all). Bumpass hell is great. It's just about the southern tip of the the Western US volcanic arc. The places to look are Northern California through Southern British Columbia in the Cascades. That's the Andean-style volcanic arc from the Cascadia Trench (which runs from Mendocino, CA to just offshore from the northern tip of Vancouver Island, BC). Pretty much your best bets are going to be just the West Coast, since it has the active tectonic margins. There's a few places on the California Coast along the San Andreas Fault System. For instance, The Geysers just north of the Bay Area. It doesn't have any geysers, just more fumaroles and mudpots--the misnamed it. It might not be a great tourist destination, since it's one of the largest geothermal installations in the country (I haven't been up there yet, they might do tours).

You can find stuff in the Coast Ranges in California, Oregon and Washington, like the aformentioned Geysers. Olympic National Park has a few hot springs, but no real volcanism.

Don't miss Mt. St. Helens, which you may or may not be able to get close to. It went back into an active cycle in Fall of 2004 and I believe it has had a few small eruptions in the last couple of months.

Northern BC to Southern Alaska may or may not be a bust, since they are along a transform margin (like California south of Mendocino), but the Aleutians and mountains along the south coast of the main mass of Alaska are along a subduction zone. In fact, there was a large volcanic eruption there within a month of Bobby Jindal saying "Why are we wasting $160 million on a volcano watch program?" on national TV. (God is, despite all claims, apparently not on Jindal's side...)

So, I don't have anything much more specific than Lassan, St. Helens and a few other spots here and there, and, oh yeah, the elephant in the room--Yellowstone (it's over a hot spot and/or megavolcano in the center of the continental plate--it's a freak of nature, since its volcanism isn't driven by plate tectonics at all).

]]> By: Wandering Justin http://blog.niceperson.org/2008/08/06/horseshoe-lake-and-bumpass-hell/comment-page-1/#comment-1816 Wandering Justin Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:12:44 +0000 http://blog.niceperson.org/?p=690#comment-1816 Great post and photos, Laurabelle! I've been looking for cool thermal areas in the U.S. because I had so much fun exploring similar areas in New Zealand. But that's a long trip to see a bunch of fumaroles and smell sulphur! I really have to check out Bumpass Hell. Great post and photos, Laurabelle! I've been looking for cool thermal areas in the U.S. because I had so much fun exploring similar areas in New Zealand. But that's a long trip to see a bunch of fumaroles and smell sulphur!

I really have to check out Bumpass Hell.

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