Ubehebe Craters | U.S. Geological Survey Official websites use .gov .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS lock ( or means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Ubehebe Craters Find U.S. Volcano Filters The map displays volcanoes, earthquakes, monitoring instruments, and past lava flows. Get Help Earthquake Plots To view an earthquake cross-sectional plot, click "Draw Plot" to start drawing on the map. Once the plot area is selected, click on "View Plot" to view chart or "Clear Plot" to start over. Map Layers Earthquake Colors Earthquake Depth Units Earthquake Time Units Results Filters The map displays volcanoes, earthquakes, monitoring instruments, and past lava flows. Get Help Earthquake Plots To view an earthquake cross-sectional plot, click "Draw Plot" to start drawing on the map. Once the plot area is selected, click on "View Plot" to view chart or "Clear Plot" to start over. Settings Map Layers Earthquake Colors Earthquake Depth Units Earthquake Time Units Map Legend Map Legend Results Ubehebe Craters Science Data Multimedia Publications News Connect Ubehebe (pronounced you-bee-HEE-bee) Craters, located about 225 km (140 mi) northwest of Las Vegas, NV, and 88 km (55 mi) southeast of Bishop, CA, in Death Valley National Park, consists of thirteen overlapping volcanic craters. The largest crater is about 800 m (0.5 mi) wide and 250 m (800 ft) deep. Quick Facts Location: California, Inyo County Latitude: 37.02° N Longitude: 117.45° W Elevation: 752 (m) 2,467 (f) Volcano type: maar and tuff ring Composition: basalt Most recent eruption: 2100 years ago Threat Potential: Moderate* *based on the National Volcano Early Warning System Summary Ubehebe Craters formed during a series of explosions set off as molten rock (basaltic magma) rising toward the Earth's surface flashed groundwater to steam (phreatic eruption). The explosive magma-water interaction blasted pulverized rock high into the air so that the ejected deposits are comprised of both basaltic lava (about a third) and fragments of sandstone and gravel from the preexisting landscape (about two thirds). Debris from the explosions blankets an area of about 40 km (15 mi ). Research by CalVO scientists suggests the set of crater-forming blasts may have taken place in response to a single batch of rising magma. The eruptive episode probably lasted a few days or weeks and took place about 2100 years ago. The California Volcano Observatory has only one seismometer in the vicinity of Ubehebe Craters, which, along with the region-wide network of USGS seismometers, will alert us to any future volcanic unrest. Presently, Ubehebe Craters is ranked as a Moderate Threat volcano in the USGS volcanic threat assessment (USGS Open-File Report 2005-1164, 2005). Threat rankings of all US volcanoes are periodically reviewed and may be revised as new research is published. The word Ubehebe is Native American in origin and means "big basket in the rock." October 21, 2022 Lateral extent of pyroclastic surge deposits at Ubehebe Crater (Death Valley, CA) and implications for hazards in monogenetic volcanic fields Lateral extent of pyroclastic surge deposits at Ubehebe Crater (Death Valley, CA) and implications for hazards in monogenetic volcanic fields Hazard assessments in monogenetic volcanic fields require estimates of the runout of pyroclastic surges that result from phreatomagmatic explosive activity. Previous assessments used runout distances of 1-4 km, with large cases up to 6 km. Surge deposits at Ubehebe Crater (~2100 y.b.p., Death Valley, California) have been traced ~9 km from the crater center, and likely originally... Authors Gregory Valentine, Judith E. Fierstein, James D.L. White By Volcano Hazards Program Volcano Science Center Ubehebe Craters February 25, 2019 California’s exposure to volcanic hazards 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... Authors Margaret Mangan, Jessica Ball, Nathan Wood, Jamie L. Jones, Jeff Peters, Nina Abdollahian, Laura Dinitz, Sharon Blankenheim, Johanna Fenton, Cynthia Pridmore By Volcano Hazards Program Volcano Science Center California Volcano Observatory Clear Lake Volcanic Field Coso Volcanic Field Lassen Volcanic Center Long Valley Caldera Mammoth Mountain Medicine Lake Mono Lake Volcanic Field Mono-Inyo Craters Mount Shasta Salton Buttes Soda Lakes Ubehebe Craters October 22, 2018 2018 update to the U.S. Geological Survey national volcanic threat assessment 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... Authors John W. Ewert, Angela K. Diefenbach, David W. 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By Ubehebe Craters Deformation Monitoring at Ubehebe Craters October 6, 2023 Deformation Monitoring at Ubehebe Craters There is currently one GPS receiver near Ubehebe Craters. October 6, 2023 Seismic Monitoring at Ubehebe Craters There is currently one USGS operated seismometer near Ubehebe Craters, which was installed in 2001. By Ubehebe Craters Seismic Monitoring at Ubehebe Craters October 6, 2023 Seismic Monitoring at Ubehebe Craters There is currently one USGS operated seismometer near Ubehebe Craters, which was installed in 2001. Quick Facts Location: California, Inyo County Latitude: 37.02° N Longitude: 117.45° W Elevation: 752 (m) 2,467 (f) Volcano type: maar and tuff ring Composition: basalt Most recent eruption: 2100 years ago Threat Potential: Moderate* *based on the National Volcano Early Warning System Volcanoes Hazards Program Links Assess Prepare Forecast Activity Products Observatories About Was this page helpful?