Lava Flows

The pattern of eruptions over the last 13,000 years suggest that the chances of a future eruption at Medicine Lake volcano are about 1 in 3,600 in any given year.

Medicine Lake volcano lies in a strongly east-west extensional tectonic environment slightly east of the main Cascade Range arc axis on the Modoc Plateau in northern California.

Basaltic to andesitic lava flows and associated cinder cones and spatter cones are the dominant types of eruption at Medicine Lake volcano.

The eruptive activity at Medicine Lake volcano is probably driven by intrusions of basaltic magma that occur during east-west stretching of the crust in an extensional tectonic environment.

Lava Beds National Monument lies on the north slope of Medicine Lake shield volcano, and contains the highest concentration of lava tube caves in North America. There are up to 500 known lava tube caves within the boundaries of Lava Beds National Monument.

Lava Beds National Monument is located in northeastern California about 50 km (31 mi) south of Klamath Falls, Oregon. The monument, established in 1925, includes the sites of many important battles of the Modoc Indian War of 1872-73. It is also known for scores of lava-tube caves and for well preserved young volcanic features.

Glass Mountain is a spectacular, nearly treeless, steep-sided rhyolite and dacite obsidian flow that erupted just outside the eastern caldera rim and flowed down the steep eastern flank of Medicine Lake volcano.

The north flank of Medicine Lake volcano was the site for many important battles of the Modoc Indian War of 1872-73.