Near Hagerman in Gooding County, Idaho — The American West (Mountains)
Volcanoes Along the Snake
Lava Landscape
By Barry Swackhamer, August 8, 2019
1. Volcanoes Along the Snake Marker
Captions: (top panorama, l to r) Notch Butte (30 miles), Basalt (4 miles), Flattop Butte (30 miles), Snake River (3 miles), Thousand Springs (6 miles); (bottom right) Along the canyon walls, the Thousand Springs spill water from the Snake River Aquifer that underlies such of the Snake River Plain.
The features before you testify to a fiery volcanic past. Distant hills, called buttes, are actually "shield" volcanoes. Named for their shape, these shield volcanoes formed when lava flowed from cracks, or vents, in the earth's crust. Over the past seven million years, these lava flows repeatedly blocked the Snake River, forcing it southward. Remains of past lava flows are often exposed by erosion and can be seen as dark layers of basalt rock along the canyon walls. Volcanic eruptions in this region ended about 50,000 years ago. The Snake River Aquifer is one of the largest underground fresh water systems in America. The water is held and channeled below the surface by successive layers of porous basalt rock.
Erected by Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Location. 42° 46.197′ N, 114° 57.465′ W. Marker is near Hagerman, Idaho, in Gooding County. Marker can be reached from Bell Rapids Road near Upper Salmon Falls Road, on the left when traveling west.
By Barry Swackhamer, August 8, 2019
2. Volcanoes Along the Snake Marker
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Manifest Destiny (within shouting distance of this marker); Right Beneath Your Feet (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Great Westward Migration (about 500 feet away); Ancient Lakes (approx. 1.9 miles away); Sediments and Fossils (approx. 1.9 miles away); A Changing Climate (approx. 1.9 miles away); Where are the Fossils? (approx. 1.9 miles away); "The People" (approx. 1.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hagerman.
More about this marker. This marker is located on a short trail taking off from Oregon Trail Overlook in Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument.
Categories. • Natural Features • Natural Resources •
By Barry Swackhamer, August 8, 2019
3. Thousand Springs
By Barry Swackhamer, August 8, 2019
4. Thousand Springs
More. Search the internet for Volcanoes Along the Snake.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 15, 2019. This page originally submitted on September 15, 2019, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 31 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 15, 2019, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
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