Devils Garden Lava Field
Find U.S. Volcano
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