Coso Volcanic Field
Find U.S. Volcano
The Coso volcanic field is located about 160 km (100 mi) northeast of Bakersfield, California, mainly within the boundary of the Naval Air Weapons Station, China Lake. It covers approximately 400 square kilometers (roughly 150 square miles) and is home to one of the largest producers of geothermal power in the U.S., with an output sufficient to supply the needs of 270,000 homes.
Quick Facts
Location: California, Inyo County
Latitude: 36.03° N
Longitude: 117.82° W
Elevation: 2,400 (m) 7,874 (f)
Volcano type: monogenetic volcanic field
Composition: basalt to rhyolite
Most recent eruption: 40,000 years ago
Nearby towns: Olancha, Pearsonville
Threat Potential: Moderate*
*based on the National Volcano Early Warning System
Summary
The Coso volcanic field geothermal resource fuels the many hot springs, steam vents, and boiling mud pots near the center of the Coso Volcanic Field. About 40 eruptions in the last quarter million years produced a field of steep-sided lava domes, red hills of volcanic cinder, and rough-surfaced lava flows. The most recent eruption occurred about 40,000 years ago forming the Volcano Peak basaltic cinder cone and lava flow. Some geological landform relationships suggest that the youngest lava dome may have formed within the past 12,000 years, but this young activity has not been confirmed via dating methods. Geophysical and geochemical studies detect a zone of partially molten rock (magma) underlying the center of the Coso Volcanic Field. Small to moderate earthquakes, some due to the geothermal resource are common. The U.S. Navy monitors earthquake and geothermal activity within the Coso Volcanic Field.
News
Having a (volcanic) field day in California
One benefit of California’s volcanoes? Geothermal energy
Unpacking CalVO's new seismic monitoring boxes
Publications
California’s exposure to volcanic hazards
The potential for damaging earthquakes, landslides, floods, tsunamis, and wildfires is widely recognized in California. The same cannot be said for volcanic eruptions, despite the fact that they occur in the state about as frequently as the largest earthquakes on the San Andreas Fault. At least ten eruptions have taken place in the past 1,000 years, and future volcanic eruptions are inevitable.The
2018 update to the U.S. Geological Survey national volcanic threat assessment
When erupting, all volcanoes pose a degree of risk to people and infrastructure, however, the risks are not equivalent from one volcano to another because of differences in eruptive style and geographic location. Assessing the relative threats posed by U.S. volcanoes identifies which volcanoes warrant the greatest risk-mitigation efforts by the U.S. Geological Survey and its partners. This update
The California Volcano Observatory: Monitoring the state's restless volcanoes
Volcanic eruptions happen in the State of California about as frequently as the largest earthquakes on the San Andreas Fault Zone. At least 10 eruptions have taken place in California in the past 1,000 years—most recently at Lassen Peak in Lassen Volcanic National Park (1914 to 1917) in the northern part of the State—and future volcanic eruptions are inevitable. The U.S. Geological Survey Californ
