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Devils Garden Lava Field

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The Devils Garden lava field is the westernmost of a group of three basaltic lava fields southeast of Newberry volcano in the High Lava Plains of central Oregon.

Quick Facts

Location: Oregon, Lake County

Latitude: 43.512° N

Longitude: 120.861° W

Elevation: 1,698 (m) 5,571 (f)

Volcano type: Volcanic field

Composition: Basalt

Most recent eruption: Holocene

Nearby towns: La Pine, Gilchrist, Sunriver, Wagontire

Threat Potential: Low/Very Low*

*based on the National Volcano Early Warning System

Summary

Devils Garden proper is a kipuka (an area isolated by surrounding lava flows). The lava field covers approximately 117 km2 (45 mi2) and originated as a fissure eruption, which formed spatter cones and ramparts that fed inflated pahoehoe lava flows via lava tubes. A lava tube can be accessed at Derrick Cave. The main vent is a low spatter rampart, and vents to the south, including "The Blowouts," are marked by well-preserved spatter cones that reach up to 30 m (100 ft) in height and up to 150 m (500 ft) in diameter. The precise age of the Devils Garden lava field is unknown, though the upper end of the flows overlies glacial outwash sediment and therefore was emplaced in postglacial times. The Devils Garden lava field is compositionally distinct from two nearby lava fields (Lava Mountain and Four Craters lava fields), which erupted about 13ka. Also, it differs in its paleomagnetic directions, so it formed during a separate eruptive event. But given the freshness of its lava and thin or absent soils, the Devils Garden lava field probably formed within 5,000 years or so of the two other lava fields.

Publications

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

Authors
John W. Ewert, Angela K. Diefenbach, David W. Ramsey
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