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Explore California's volcanic legacy and future with new field trip guides

California is well-known for its frequent earthquakes, but less so for its volcanic history – despite the fact that the most recent eruption in the state occurred just 100 years ago.

Field-trip guides to selected volcanoes and volcanic landscapes of the western United States - overview map.

Nearly every kind of volcanic landform is represented in California, from the stratocone of Mount Shasta to the lava domes of the Mono-Inyo Craters to the steam explosion features of Ubehebe Craters. To explore this wealth of geologic phenomena, use some of the USGS's newly published and upcoming volcanic field trip guides!

Several new and updated field guides for the 2017 Scientific Assembly of the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI) in Portland, Oregon showcase California's volcanoes. Upcoming publications for Medicine Lake, Mount Shasta, Lassen Peak, Long Valley and Mammoth Mountain will provide easy to follow and informative field trips. The new collection of guidebooks can be found at the USGS Publications Warehouse and summarizes decades of advances in understanding volcanic and tectonic processes of western North America.

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