The Mono Craters, California

Abstract

The Mono Craters are a unique series of obsidian domes and coulees south of Mono Lake, in eastern California. From an undulating, pumice-covered plain their steep slopes rise nearly 2700 feet above the surrounding country and reach an altitude of 9169 feet at the summit of the highest dome. Were the range not dwarfed by the neighboring Sierra Nevada, "it would be far-famed for its magnificent scenery as well as for its geological interest." The Mono Craters present many features of interest. Their relationship to the lacustrine record of Mono Lake and the glacial history of the eastern Sierra Nevada is important. Added interest to the problem is afforded by the water tunnel under construction by the city of Los Angeles, which passes beneath one of the larger domes at the south end of the chain. This tunnel is to convey water from the Mono Basin into the drainage of the Owens River and, by the present aqueduct, to Los Angeles. The work has been impeded by the large quantity of water encountered in the tunnel and the presence of carbon dioxide (see Fig. 16). On the other hand, there is the fortunate circumstance that the tunnel line passes through an area suitable for the determination of the age of the craters. All the important rocks of the region crop out, and in this area the glacial and volcanic records overlap.

Files

Additional details