Post by John on Nov 5, 2013 23:29:57 GMT -5
Howdy my fellow nerds!
This was one of my first trips as a budding geologist and certainly one of my favorites, so I am excited to share some small parts of it with you. I apologize beforehand for the quality of some of the photos, as they were taken years ago with a less than superb camera.
Some background for this trip: We began our journey at Mt. Shasta and proceeded northward ending at Lava Beds National Monument. We resided there for the duration of our trip and would head out from that location to various sites around the area. We were blessed in that a friend of ours was doing research at Lava beds and allowed us to stay at the research center with him. Unfortunately, I did not capitalize on the opportunity to take many pictures of the center itself, but it was a very exciting and fun place to stay. Our theme for this trip was volcanology, from Shields and Composite Cones to Cinder cones and calderas. When we mention the word volcano, our minds race in all sorts of different directions. We have the mellow, ropey flows that produce large shield volcanos, such as the Hawaiian Islands, as well as the larger, more monolithic composite cones that generally explode rather than slowly oozing their molten basalt. One of the biggest benefits of taking a trip through Northern California and Southern Oregon is that you have a healthy balance of both and as we have been told many times over, variety is the spice of life!
If I do not complete this post I will go back and edit to include annotations regarding each photo! So without further ado, lets begin this little journey!
This first photo was taken at the beginning of our journey. The Castle Crags are a world class example of a geologic formation named a stock. A stock is a small intrusion of material that is separate from the more massive formation.The more massive formation in question is the Klamath mountain range. The Klamath range originated as a series of island arcs, much like the majority of Washington's western coast. During subduction of the Farralon plate, many of these smaller formations scrapped off and were jutted upwards, much like California's coast range. The significance here lies with the composition of The Castle Crags relative to the rest of the Klamath Range. A remarkable portion of this range is composed of lighter, less dense Serpentine and basalt; However, the Castle Crags are composted purely of Granodiorite. As the granite was exposed by erosion it fractured, forming deep vertical joints in some cases as well as wonderful examples of exfoliation domes. Very similar to the Sierra Nevada!
Our second stop on this trip was Mount Shasta. Mount Shasta is our first volcano of the adventure, however due to it's size it is difficult to photograph it from atop the mountain itself. Shasta is an extraordinary example of a stratovolcano, and quite a complex one at that. Shasta is composed primarily of four different intersecting composite cone volcanos, all of which are primarily andesite in composition (This is why it was such a energetic eruption when it took place). Because of this it is generally broken up into three separate formations: Sargents Ridge, Misery Hill and Shastina. In this photograph you can also see 4 of shasta's five permanent glaciers!
We spent the remainder of the day on the road engaging in typical road trip shenanigans; however, we want to see geology, not a car full of energetic guys trying to pass time on a five hour drive!
We arrived at our home for the next 5 days just as the sun was slipping off over the horizon. Fortunate timing for us since we had to spend about 30 minutes standing around a generator trying to figure out how to turn it on. For reference, if there isn't fuel in the generator, it doesn't turn on. In fact, you should check that first! Since Lava Beds lies on the flank of a giant shield volcano, we have a spectacular view of the
surroundings, for miles and miles!
It's amazing how easy to sleep it is when you're out there in the middle of nowhere, the closest person 30 miles away. It's almost...too quiet! Could not miss the opportunity to get up and go for a morning walk and catch the sunrise, though!
Upon arriving, we decided to spend our first day close to our new base camp. We had miles and miles of lava tubes to explore, after all! Magma, like any other fluid, has a tendency to flow. As we have experienced with water on a table with any variable gradient, water will slip into the cracks and follow the gradient of the table. Magma is no different. As pressures build in the pockets, a weak wall may give way and magma will begin working it's way through this fissure, expanding it gradually. These massive flows can produce some extraordinarily complex cave systems, which are incredibly fun to climb around inside! Just don't forget your hard hat and flashlights!
As you can see above, the walls and floor of the tubes are generally rounded and more smooth than what we would expect to find in a more gaseous lava near a composite cone. These basaltic lavas flow more readily and have less of a tendency to "stick." This is the reason that basaltic volcanos form giant, however not very tall, volcanos. The lava flows out very easily, but it also spreads across the gradient of the existing shield as opposed to building on top of itself.
One of my favorite features of these caves are the flow lines. As the magma levels began to fall, the height of the flow in the tubes begins to decrease. Over time the buildup on the walls at a certain height can help us determine the flow rate inside the tubes. By knowing this it is also possible to extrapolate how quickly the shield itself was growing. pretty neat, huh!?
A budding geologists biggest dilemma, left or right? We decided to split up and search both sides, however after about an hour my compatriot and I reached a dead end on our side. It was also starting to get quite cold and we were beginning to find large icicles and small reservoirs of frozen water underfoot. It was becoming a safety hazard, so we headed back and waited for the rest of our group to return. Although these caves are spectacular if you're willing to rappel to continue, they often drop off very suddenly, which makes them inaccessible to those who are not. The nature of a basaltic magma pocket also leaves you with very few mineral deposits to photograph.
Another example of the flow lines that help to identify the peaks and troughs of expansion of the shield.
Fissures in the ceiling allow moisture from the ground to wick down into the cave system. Here there is obviously a rather large fissure above, evident from the very unique calcium carbonate formation along the walls. As any good amateur Geologist, we tested with HCL. Definitely CaCO3.
The ceiling of these tubes are covered with these small formations. I am unaware of their precise origin, however I can infer that as the magma was passing through the tube, it produced enough heat that it melted the basalt above it, causing it to drip down into the flowing magma. As the levels dropped gradually and the heat at the ceiling gradually decreased the temperature dropped below the melting point of basalt. These formations would then result as the partially melted basalt cooled. As you can see, water has begun to drip from each prominence. If we consider the calcium carbonate formations found earlier in the caves, we can infer that these could eventually turn into rather large stalactites!
After a long day of spelunking we retired to rest for our next adventure. Northward to Crater Lake Oregon.
Crater Lake is one of the most pronounced examples of a caldera on our planet. Sometime between 6-8,000 years ago this super massive volcano erupted quite violently (as expected in a rhyodacite/andesite volcano). The eruption led to the subsidence of the rather massive mountain that sat above the level of the lake. The small cinder cone that formed in the caldera marks the main shaft. It's formation came shortly after the main eruption as it sputtered to its conclusion. The waters of Crater Lake are absolutely pristine, mostly due to being restricted to the public. We attempted to get a permit to dive here, however the fee was outrageous and since none of us are registered geologists I do not think they really considered it in the first place. It is extraordinarily difficult to do justice to the size of this formation with a single photo. The caldera is five miles across! It is by far one of the most beautiful places I have had the pleasure of visiting.
As we approached the southern side of the lake the ferry came into view. To give you some perspective of the relative size of this lake you can see the small (15m) ferry leaving the cinder cone. In this picture you can also see a portion of the original mountains surface profile. As you can tell from the gradient, this mountain was huge! It is estimated that over 50 cubic miles of material was lost from the formation during the eruption, not including what fell back inside, collapsing the magma chamber and creating this gorgeous caldera.
The cinder cone itself is quite large as well. The formation of this cone happened shortly after the Mount Mazama (the superstructure) collapsed. After the eruption, several smaller eruptions would take place over hundreds of years, each building up a separate cone. Wizard island (The cone depicted) is the tallest of the cinder cones that reside in the lake, and only one of two that break the surface of the water. Their composition is also primarily andesite, thus they are primarily composed of layers of ash and andesite spatter from frequent and violent eruptions.
Every good amateur geologist knows that you have to take a break from studying rocks and formations to enjoy the little things in life...why not break dance a little? Get down!
We spent an additional few days exploring the remaining lava tubes and enjoyed a few spectacularly clear nights viewing the Perseid meteor shower. It's amazing how clear the sky is when you're up around 7,000 feet with no light pollution to speak of.
Our last location we decided to visit before departing Southern Oregon was Sandy Creek. This area is particularly interesting due to it's unique ash formations. As very hot ash covered meadows and streams, water flash boiled to steam. As this steam rose through the ash, it congealed the loose material into more solid rock that could resist erosion.
Always be sure to respect the environment and abide by any signs found during your travels! If we do not, then these magnificent formations and lush forests will wither away and not be here for younger generations to cherish! (Plus, even if you're really careful DNR people get very mad)
Heading southward towards Lassen provided us with the opportunity to stop at a fascinating formation that has been coined "Glass Mountain." Glass mountain is the youngest of the highlands volcanos found in California. The eruption took place no more than 900 years ago! The area is covered with beautiful formations of Obsidian and layered deeply with Pumice and volcanic ash. This prevents any forest or foliage growth in the area, but provides us with excellent specimen gathering conditions. Two separate phenomenon occur when Obsidian and Pumice form in the same eruption. Obsidian forms as the very hot lava is expelled from the earth and is supercooled. This rapid cooling prevents crystals from forming and causes the lava to solidify into the shiny black glass that we know as obsidian. However, if the lava that is expelled experiences rapid depressurization while it is expelled from the earth, it expands rapidly while cooling. The glass cools in a very similar fashion, however crystal structures develop and the rapid evacuation of gasses lead to the very porous stone we are so familiar with.
An example of some of the spectacular Obsidian formations found at Glass Mountain. The Native Americans that resided in the Medicine Lake complex would have been well equip enough arrowheads to fight off a rather large invading force. Also, Jon Snow and the Brothers of the Nights Watch would have loved to discover this particular formation!
There were few places I was more excited to go than Lassen state park; however, we stumbled upon this little gem without any intention of stopping until a fellow adventurer told us what we would be missing. We decided to have a look and man was I glad that we decided to do so. Dot Jean Ice Caves are spectacular! The ice in these caves persists year around. Due to ice wedging, they continue to expand as liquid water drips into the crevices and expands. Water is the only substance on Earth that can replicate this geological process, all other substances contract when they freeze. (Credit for these photos goes to our guide for this trip! My camera died and I was unable to get batteries until our next stop at Lassen)
Unfortunately visitors have a bad habit of not respecting the formations and some jerk shattered the surface of the ice, it is still quite pretty!
Our resting place for the evening was by far one of the most gorgeous places I have yet to visit. There are many beautiful waterfalls around the world, However MacArthur Burney Falls is among the the most beautiful.
The river above provides only a fraction of the water flowing from the falls, the remainder is transported via springs through crevices in the cliffs. Thus, this water is extraordinarily COLD. It is; however, also very refreshing! Polar bear dives did take place, as well as a good amount of kayaking the rapids down stream.
Upon leaving MacArthur Burney Falls, we headed towards Lassen State Park. Lassen is by far one of the most intriguing parks in Northern California as it is the southern most non extinct volcano in the Cascade Range. The park itself formed during the Cenozoic Era (as the continents were migrating to their current positions) . Although many of the smaller formations in the park have existed for millions of years, Lassen peak itself is a very new formation (roughly 27,000 y/o). Mount Tehama was a massive stratovolcano that formed in the park sometime in the last 600,000 years. Roughly 350,000 years ago, it erupted quite violently, emptying it's magma pocket and collapsing on itself. Lassen has thus formed in it's former throat as a dacite dome. Lassen peak itself is presently the tallest peak in the park; however, it has been diminished by glacial activity over the past 27,000 years and will again continue to be eroded by future Ice ages and erosion. Lassen peak shows evidence of glacial carving, but does not have any permanent glaciers, like Shasta. It does, however, have a large number of permanent snowfields, which make it a very beautiful and picturesque formation.
The most interesting parts of this park for me were the several geothermal areas. We were unfortunately not able to visit the Sulfur works, however we did have the opportunity to visit Bumpass Hell. Although it does not possess any geysers, there are a vast number of Fumaroles, boiling mud pots and hot springs. As with any geothermal area, the air was quite ripe with the stench of sulfur, a scent that any budding geologist comes to associate with the fun that is bubbling pits of particulate pyrite in a colloidal suspension!
One of my personal favorite formations at this park are the mud pots, The darker swirls are actually pyrite in suspension (fools gold!). When most people think of "mud" they imagine the suspended soils in water after a rain. The mud pots formed in geothermal areas are often far more complex. Due to limited water in the area, mud pots are not actually formed by water and soil mixing and forming large puddles of suspended particles. Acids and microorganisms actually decompose rock and turn it into this viscous slurry!
Another photo of a mud pot that shows how the acids and microorganisms have turned the rock into a softer clay that will eventually fall into the mud pots, further expanding them over time.
Sulfur crystals! Unfortunately the camera that I was using at the time of this trip was not exactly at the pinnacle of industry standards, however you can still make out the formation. It was very tempting to gather it up as a specimen, however that would be wrong!
I am going to end this post here, as I spent far too much time taking photos of the many different mud pots in Bumpass Hell. It was a wonderful week long adventure and all of these sites are ones I would highly recommend anyone visiting should the opportunity present itself! Thanks for taking the time to read along and view these photos and it's been a pleasure to share them with you!
John
This was one of my first trips as a budding geologist and certainly one of my favorites, so I am excited to share some small parts of it with you. I apologize beforehand for the quality of some of the photos, as they were taken years ago with a less than superb camera.
Some background for this trip: We began our journey at Mt. Shasta and proceeded northward ending at Lava Beds National Monument. We resided there for the duration of our trip and would head out from that location to various sites around the area. We were blessed in that a friend of ours was doing research at Lava beds and allowed us to stay at the research center with him. Unfortunately, I did not capitalize on the opportunity to take many pictures of the center itself, but it was a very exciting and fun place to stay. Our theme for this trip was volcanology, from Shields and Composite Cones to Cinder cones and calderas. When we mention the word volcano, our minds race in all sorts of different directions. We have the mellow, ropey flows that produce large shield volcanos, such as the Hawaiian Islands, as well as the larger, more monolithic composite cones that generally explode rather than slowly oozing their molten basalt. One of the biggest benefits of taking a trip through Northern California and Southern Oregon is that you have a healthy balance of both and as we have been told many times over, variety is the spice of life!
If I do not complete this post I will go back and edit to include annotations regarding each photo! So without further ado, lets begin this little journey!
This first photo was taken at the beginning of our journey. The Castle Crags are a world class example of a geologic formation named a stock. A stock is a small intrusion of material that is separate from the more massive formation.The more massive formation in question is the Klamath mountain range. The Klamath range originated as a series of island arcs, much like the majority of Washington's western coast. During subduction of the Farralon plate, many of these smaller formations scrapped off and were jutted upwards, much like California's coast range. The significance here lies with the composition of The Castle Crags relative to the rest of the Klamath Range. A remarkable portion of this range is composed of lighter, less dense Serpentine and basalt; However, the Castle Crags are composted purely of Granodiorite. As the granite was exposed by erosion it fractured, forming deep vertical joints in some cases as well as wonderful examples of exfoliation domes. Very similar to the Sierra Nevada!
Our second stop on this trip was Mount Shasta. Mount Shasta is our first volcano of the adventure, however due to it's size it is difficult to photograph it from atop the mountain itself. Shasta is an extraordinary example of a stratovolcano, and quite a complex one at that. Shasta is composed primarily of four different intersecting composite cone volcanos, all of which are primarily andesite in composition (This is why it was such a energetic eruption when it took place). Because of this it is generally broken up into three separate formations: Sargents Ridge, Misery Hill and Shastina. In this photograph you can also see 4 of shasta's five permanent glaciers!
We spent the remainder of the day on the road engaging in typical road trip shenanigans; however, we want to see geology, not a car full of energetic guys trying to pass time on a five hour drive!
We arrived at our home for the next 5 days just as the sun was slipping off over the horizon. Fortunate timing for us since we had to spend about 30 minutes standing around a generator trying to figure out how to turn it on. For reference, if there isn't fuel in the generator, it doesn't turn on. In fact, you should check that first! Since Lava Beds lies on the flank of a giant shield volcano, we have a spectacular view of the
surroundings, for miles and miles!
It's amazing how easy to sleep it is when you're out there in the middle of nowhere, the closest person 30 miles away. It's almost...too quiet! Could not miss the opportunity to get up and go for a morning walk and catch the sunrise, though!
Upon arriving, we decided to spend our first day close to our new base camp. We had miles and miles of lava tubes to explore, after all! Magma, like any other fluid, has a tendency to flow. As we have experienced with water on a table with any variable gradient, water will slip into the cracks and follow the gradient of the table. Magma is no different. As pressures build in the pockets, a weak wall may give way and magma will begin working it's way through this fissure, expanding it gradually. These massive flows can produce some extraordinarily complex cave systems, which are incredibly fun to climb around inside! Just don't forget your hard hat and flashlights!
As you can see above, the walls and floor of the tubes are generally rounded and more smooth than what we would expect to find in a more gaseous lava near a composite cone. These basaltic lavas flow more readily and have less of a tendency to "stick." This is the reason that basaltic volcanos form giant, however not very tall, volcanos. The lava flows out very easily, but it also spreads across the gradient of the existing shield as opposed to building on top of itself.
One of my favorite features of these caves are the flow lines. As the magma levels began to fall, the height of the flow in the tubes begins to decrease. Over time the buildup on the walls at a certain height can help us determine the flow rate inside the tubes. By knowing this it is also possible to extrapolate how quickly the shield itself was growing. pretty neat, huh!?
A budding geologists biggest dilemma, left or right? We decided to split up and search both sides, however after about an hour my compatriot and I reached a dead end on our side. It was also starting to get quite cold and we were beginning to find large icicles and small reservoirs of frozen water underfoot. It was becoming a safety hazard, so we headed back and waited for the rest of our group to return. Although these caves are spectacular if you're willing to rappel to continue, they often drop off very suddenly, which makes them inaccessible to those who are not. The nature of a basaltic magma pocket also leaves you with very few mineral deposits to photograph.
Another example of the flow lines that help to identify the peaks and troughs of expansion of the shield.
Fissures in the ceiling allow moisture from the ground to wick down into the cave system. Here there is obviously a rather large fissure above, evident from the very unique calcium carbonate formation along the walls. As any good amateur Geologist, we tested with HCL. Definitely CaCO3.
The ceiling of these tubes are covered with these small formations. I am unaware of their precise origin, however I can infer that as the magma was passing through the tube, it produced enough heat that it melted the basalt above it, causing it to drip down into the flowing magma. As the levels dropped gradually and the heat at the ceiling gradually decreased the temperature dropped below the melting point of basalt. These formations would then result as the partially melted basalt cooled. As you can see, water has begun to drip from each prominence. If we consider the calcium carbonate formations found earlier in the caves, we can infer that these could eventually turn into rather large stalactites!
After a long day of spelunking we retired to rest for our next adventure. Northward to Crater Lake Oregon.
Crater Lake is one of the most pronounced examples of a caldera on our planet. Sometime between 6-8,000 years ago this super massive volcano erupted quite violently (as expected in a rhyodacite/andesite volcano). The eruption led to the subsidence of the rather massive mountain that sat above the level of the lake. The small cinder cone that formed in the caldera marks the main shaft. It's formation came shortly after the main eruption as it sputtered to its conclusion. The waters of Crater Lake are absolutely pristine, mostly due to being restricted to the public. We attempted to get a permit to dive here, however the fee was outrageous and since none of us are registered geologists I do not think they really considered it in the first place. It is extraordinarily difficult to do justice to the size of this formation with a single photo. The caldera is five miles across! It is by far one of the most beautiful places I have had the pleasure of visiting.
As we approached the southern side of the lake the ferry came into view. To give you some perspective of the relative size of this lake you can see the small (15m) ferry leaving the cinder cone. In this picture you can also see a portion of the original mountains surface profile. As you can tell from the gradient, this mountain was huge! It is estimated that over 50 cubic miles of material was lost from the formation during the eruption, not including what fell back inside, collapsing the magma chamber and creating this gorgeous caldera.
The cinder cone itself is quite large as well. The formation of this cone happened shortly after the Mount Mazama (the superstructure) collapsed. After the eruption, several smaller eruptions would take place over hundreds of years, each building up a separate cone. Wizard island (The cone depicted) is the tallest of the cinder cones that reside in the lake, and only one of two that break the surface of the water. Their composition is also primarily andesite, thus they are primarily composed of layers of ash and andesite spatter from frequent and violent eruptions.
Every good amateur geologist knows that you have to take a break from studying rocks and formations to enjoy the little things in life...why not break dance a little? Get down!
We spent an additional few days exploring the remaining lava tubes and enjoyed a few spectacularly clear nights viewing the Perseid meteor shower. It's amazing how clear the sky is when you're up around 7,000 feet with no light pollution to speak of.
Our last location we decided to visit before departing Southern Oregon was Sandy Creek. This area is particularly interesting due to it's unique ash formations. As very hot ash covered meadows and streams, water flash boiled to steam. As this steam rose through the ash, it congealed the loose material into more solid rock that could resist erosion.
Always be sure to respect the environment and abide by any signs found during your travels! If we do not, then these magnificent formations and lush forests will wither away and not be here for younger generations to cherish! (Plus, even if you're really careful DNR people get very mad)
Heading southward towards Lassen provided us with the opportunity to stop at a fascinating formation that has been coined "Glass Mountain." Glass mountain is the youngest of the highlands volcanos found in California. The eruption took place no more than 900 years ago! The area is covered with beautiful formations of Obsidian and layered deeply with Pumice and volcanic ash. This prevents any forest or foliage growth in the area, but provides us with excellent specimen gathering conditions. Two separate phenomenon occur when Obsidian and Pumice form in the same eruption. Obsidian forms as the very hot lava is expelled from the earth and is supercooled. This rapid cooling prevents crystals from forming and causes the lava to solidify into the shiny black glass that we know as obsidian. However, if the lava that is expelled experiences rapid depressurization while it is expelled from the earth, it expands rapidly while cooling. The glass cools in a very similar fashion, however crystal structures develop and the rapid evacuation of gasses lead to the very porous stone we are so familiar with.
An example of some of the spectacular Obsidian formations found at Glass Mountain. The Native Americans that resided in the Medicine Lake complex would have been well equip enough arrowheads to fight off a rather large invading force. Also, Jon Snow and the Brothers of the Nights Watch would have loved to discover this particular formation!
There were few places I was more excited to go than Lassen state park; however, we stumbled upon this little gem without any intention of stopping until a fellow adventurer told us what we would be missing. We decided to have a look and man was I glad that we decided to do so. Dot Jean Ice Caves are spectacular! The ice in these caves persists year around. Due to ice wedging, they continue to expand as liquid water drips into the crevices and expands. Water is the only substance on Earth that can replicate this geological process, all other substances contract when they freeze. (Credit for these photos goes to our guide for this trip! My camera died and I was unable to get batteries until our next stop at Lassen)
Unfortunately visitors have a bad habit of not respecting the formations and some jerk shattered the surface of the ice, it is still quite pretty!
Our resting place for the evening was by far one of the most gorgeous places I have yet to visit. There are many beautiful waterfalls around the world, However MacArthur Burney Falls is among the the most beautiful.
The river above provides only a fraction of the water flowing from the falls, the remainder is transported via springs through crevices in the cliffs. Thus, this water is extraordinarily COLD. It is; however, also very refreshing! Polar bear dives did take place, as well as a good amount of kayaking the rapids down stream.
Upon leaving MacArthur Burney Falls, we headed towards Lassen State Park. Lassen is by far one of the most intriguing parks in Northern California as it is the southern most non extinct volcano in the Cascade Range. The park itself formed during the Cenozoic Era (as the continents were migrating to their current positions) . Although many of the smaller formations in the park have existed for millions of years, Lassen peak itself is a very new formation (roughly 27,000 y/o). Mount Tehama was a massive stratovolcano that formed in the park sometime in the last 600,000 years. Roughly 350,000 years ago, it erupted quite violently, emptying it's magma pocket and collapsing on itself. Lassen has thus formed in it's former throat as a dacite dome. Lassen peak itself is presently the tallest peak in the park; however, it has been diminished by glacial activity over the past 27,000 years and will again continue to be eroded by future Ice ages and erosion. Lassen peak shows evidence of glacial carving, but does not have any permanent glaciers, like Shasta. It does, however, have a large number of permanent snowfields, which make it a very beautiful and picturesque formation.
The most interesting parts of this park for me were the several geothermal areas. We were unfortunately not able to visit the Sulfur works, however we did have the opportunity to visit Bumpass Hell. Although it does not possess any geysers, there are a vast number of Fumaroles, boiling mud pots and hot springs. As with any geothermal area, the air was quite ripe with the stench of sulfur, a scent that any budding geologist comes to associate with the fun that is bubbling pits of particulate pyrite in a colloidal suspension!
One of my personal favorite formations at this park are the mud pots, The darker swirls are actually pyrite in suspension (fools gold!). When most people think of "mud" they imagine the suspended soils in water after a rain. The mud pots formed in geothermal areas are often far more complex. Due to limited water in the area, mud pots are not actually formed by water and soil mixing and forming large puddles of suspended particles. Acids and microorganisms actually decompose rock and turn it into this viscous slurry!
Another photo of a mud pot that shows how the acids and microorganisms have turned the rock into a softer clay that will eventually fall into the mud pots, further expanding them over time.
Sulfur crystals! Unfortunately the camera that I was using at the time of this trip was not exactly at the pinnacle of industry standards, however you can still make out the formation. It was very tempting to gather it up as a specimen, however that would be wrong!
I am going to end this post here, as I spent far too much time taking photos of the many different mud pots in Bumpass Hell. It was a wonderful week long adventure and all of these sites are ones I would highly recommend anyone visiting should the opportunity present itself! Thanks for taking the time to read along and view these photos and it's been a pleasure to share them with you!
John
