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This map shows the Mono Lake - Long Valley region and part of the Sierra Nevada to the south. The landscape is shown in shades of gray while earthquakes are depicted with orange dots scaled according to the earthquake's magnitude. Black lines indicate where seismic monitoring boxes are drawn around Mono Lake, the Long Valley Caldera, the Sierra Nevada, and Mammoth Mountain.
Map of the Long Valley region with earthquakes from 2025
Map of the Long Valley region with earthquakes from 2025
Map of the Long Valley region with earthquakes from 2025

Locations of earthquakes of at least magnitude 1.0 in 2025 and the outlines of the boxes CalVO uses to count earthquakes around Long Valley. Only 6 earthquakes were located inside the Long Valley Caldera box. (Earthquake location data from Northern California Seismic Network.) Figure by Alicia Hotovec-Ellis, USGS. 

Locations of earthquakes of at least magnitude 1.0 in 2025 and the outlines of the boxes CalVO uses to count earthquakes around Long Valley. Only 6 earthquakes were located inside the Long Valley Caldera box. (Earthquake location data from Northern California Seismic Network.) Figure by Alicia Hotovec-Ellis, USGS. 

Two line graphs show the yearly number of earthquakes over since 1980 in the Long Valley Caldera and the Sierra Nevada south of the caldera. Several annotations write out the numbers of earthquakes in a few years, including 2025.
Earthquakes per year from 1980-2026 in Long Valley and the nearby Sierra Nevada
Earthquakes per year from 1980-2026 in Long Valley and the nearby Sierra Nevada
Earthquakes per year from 1980-2026 in Long Valley and the nearby Sierra Nevada

Graphs of the number of earthquakes located each year since 1980 in the Long Valley Caldera and nearby Sierra Block monitoring boxes. Note that the number of earthquakes on the left shown on a logarithmic scale, which means they increase an order of magnitude with each "step." Figure by Alicia Hotovec-Ellis, USGS.

Graphs of the number of earthquakes located each year since 1980 in the Long Valley Caldera and nearby Sierra Block monitoring boxes. Note that the number of earthquakes on the left shown on a logarithmic scale, which means they increase an order of magnitude with each "step." Figure by Alicia Hotovec-Ellis, USGS.

In this photo of a bare, rocky hill in the middle of a fire-blackened forest, a pole and strapping are laying on the ground next to a charred stump. In the foreground, a dented and warped box contains the melted remains of several large bits of electronics. USGS photo by Ryan Presser, NCSN.
Fire-damaged seismic station in the Lassen Volcanic Center
Fire-damaged seismic station in the Lassen Volcanic Center
Fire-damaged seismic station in the Lassen Volcanic Center

This seismic station in the Lassen Volcanic Center was damaged during the Dixie Fire of 2021, which burned huge swathes of forest in the Lassen Volcanic National Park. Above-ground equipment, including the tree that held the antenna and solar panel above winter snows, was destroyed; belowground seismic sensors were recoverable. USGS photo by Ryan Presser, NCSN.

This seismic station in the Lassen Volcanic Center was damaged during the Dixie Fire of 2021, which burned huge swathes of forest in the Lassen Volcanic National Park. Above-ground equipment, including the tree that held the antenna and solar panel above winter snows, was destroyed; belowground seismic sensors were recoverable. USGS photo by Ryan Presser, NCSN.

A silvery scientific instrument in a wooden room. The instrument consists of two open frameworks of slotted gray aluminum bars, in which is a large silver cylinder with another off to it side. Cables and tubes snake out of the instrument to power outlets, motor boxes, and sensor boxes. The instrument is tall and protrudes into an opening in the roof of the room.
Cryogenic magnetometer in the USGS California Volcano Observatory Paleomagnetics Laboratory
Cryogenic magnetometer in the USGS California Volcano Observatory Paleomagnetics Laboratory
Cryogenic magnetometer in the USGS California Volcano Observatory Paleomagnetics Laboratory

The cryogenic magnetometer within the shielded room in the U.S. Geological Survey Paleomagnetics Laboratory. Major features of the cryogenic magnetometer are labeled. Picture by A. Pivarunas (U.S. Geological Survey)

A stylized circular logo reads "California Volcano Observatory U.S. Geological Survey" in black on gray font with a central vector image of a brown bear in profile on red ground. Green forests are visible in the mid ground and the two peaks of Mount Shasta and Shastina are shown in the distance.
USGS California Volcano Observatory logo
USGS California Volcano Observatory logo
USGS California Volcano Observatory logo

The California Volcano Observatory was created in 2012. Its logo shows Mount Shasta with a California grizzly bear (extinct) in the foreground.

The California Volcano Observatory was created in 2012. Its logo shows Mount Shasta with a California grizzly bear (extinct) in the foreground.

Aerial view of Mount Konocti, highlighting Little Borax Lake, the Black Forest landslide scarp and deposits
The lava dome complex of Mount Konocti, Clear Lake Volcanic Field
The lava dome complex of Mount Konocti, Clear Lake Volcanic Field
The lava dome complex of Mount Konocti, Clear Lake Volcanic Field

Roughly a third of the total erupted volume of the Clear Lake volcanic field is represented by the ~ 35 km3 of rocks comprising Mt. Konocti and nearby hills. The mountain itself is over 1200 m (~4000 ft) high and is comprised primarily of a series of dacitic lava domes – Buckingham Peak, Wright Peak, and South Peak, and Howard Peak are all dacites.

Roughly a third of the total erupted volume of the Clear Lake volcanic field is represented by the ~ 35 km3 of rocks comprising Mt. Konocti and nearby hills. The mountain itself is over 1200 m (~4000 ft) high and is comprised primarily of a series of dacitic lava domes – Buckingham Peak, Wright Peak, and South Peak, and Howard Peak are all dacites.

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