Tulelake in Siskiyou County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Spatter Cones

Photographed by Don Morfe, July 2, 2009

1. Spatter Cones Marker

Inscription. The “chimneys” before you built up as hot gasses propelled globs of lava high into the air like lumpy oatmeal boiling over a pot. This lava quickly formed dramatic, hollow spatter cones as it fell back to the ground. Later, less explosive lava flowed out, creating the massive Devils Homestead flow. If you are traveling from the north, you have driven along its entire 3.5 mile (5.6 km) length to the source. The magma that formed both features came up through a long fissure in the ground that runs along Gillem Bluff to your left. Weak spots in the surface like this one allow magma to erupt and form a multitude of different volcanic features.

Erected by National Park Service.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Environment.

Location. 41° 45.437′ N, 121° 34.056′ W. Marker is in Tulelake, California, in Siskiyou County. It can be reached from Hill Road (County Road 10). The marker is within the boundaries of Lava Beds National Monument. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Tulelake CA 96134, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on California’s Modoc Plateau,

in the Shasta Cascade,

and in the Klamath Mountains.

It is also in the American Mountain West

and specifically in the Pacific Northwest.

Globally, it is in North America,

in the Cascade Range,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The End of the Modoc War (approx. 0.8 miles away); A Volcanic Classroom (approx. 0.8 miles away); Ambush at Midday - The Thomas-Wright Battle of April 26, 1873

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(approx. 1.7 miles away); Beds of Lava (approx. 1.7 miles away); Civilian Conservation Corps (approx. 2½ miles away); J.D. Howard (approx. 4.3 miles away); Last Meeting of the Peace Commission (approx. 4.4 miles away); Canby Cross (approx. 4.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tulelake.

Another marker is no longer nearby. River of Rocks - The Devils Homestead Lava Flow (was approx. 2½ miles away but has been confirmed missing).

The "Chimneys" image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Don Morfe, July 2, 2009

2. The "Chimneys"

Credits. This page was last revised on January 29, 2018. It was originally submitted on February 13, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 604 times since then and 16 times this year. Last updated on January 27, 2018, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 13, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.