Near Arco in Butte County, Idaho — The American West (Mountains)
A Plain of Volcanoes
Photographed by Duane Hall, September 17, 2010
1. A Plain of Volcanoes Marker
Inscription.
A Plain of Volcanoes. . The shallow arc of Idahos Snake River Plain spans southern Idaho, gently rising from west to east. Current theories suggest that the plain marks the path of continental movement over a deep hotspot now lying beneath the Yellowstone Plateau. As the continent drifted southwestward over millions of years, calderas, super-volcanoes 10 - 40 miles (15 - 64 km) wide, erupted over the hotspot. , , In the past 17 million years , there have been about a dozen catastrophic eruptions releasing huge volumes of rhyolitic magma and ash. Between these super-eruptions were long periods when more fluid basaltic lava flowed from more than 8,000 shield volcanoes and numerous lave cones. Remnants of these dot the Eastern Snake River Plain today. Layer upon layer of basalt flows extend 3,000 - 6,000 feet (1,000 - 2,000 m) below the surface, completely covering the rhyolite “basement.” , , (Left Graphic Description) , Sinking Rivers And A Flowing Aquifer , Streams that flow here are indirect tributaries to the Snake River. The aptly named Lost River flows to an area north of here known as “the sinks” where it soaks into the ground, becoming part of an aquifer the volume of Lake Erie. The aquifer flows through pores and fractures in the rock hundreds of feet beneath the surface, eventually emerging from springs along the Snake River Canyon at Thousand Springs about 100 miles (160 km) to the southwest. , , (Middle Graphic Description) , Big Southern Butte , Big Southern Butte, rising 2,500 feet (760 m) above the Eastern Snake River Plain, is a prominent reminder of the regions volcanism. About 300,000 years ago, the butte intruded through surrounding layers of basalt, rising to an elevation of 7,560 feet (2,300 m). It is one of the largest composite rhyolite domes in the world. , , (Right Graphic Description) , Ancient calderas are evidence of the North American Continents movement over the Yellowstone hotspot. , When Yellowstone Caldera erupted 640,000 years ago, it released about 240 cubic miles (1,000 km 3) of material, covering half of North America in 6 feet (2 m) of debris.
The shallow arc of Idahos Snake River Plain spans southern Idaho, gently rising from west to east. Current theories suggest that the plain marks the path of continental movement over a deep hotspot now lying beneath the Yellowstone Plateau. As the continent drifted southwestward over millions of years, calderas—super-volcanoes 10 - 40 miles (15 - 64 km) wide—erupted over the hotspot.
In the past 17 million years , there have been about a dozen catastrophic eruptions releasing huge volumes of rhyolitic magma and ash. Between these super-eruptions were long periods when more fluid basaltic lava flowed from more than 8,000 shield volcanoes and numerous lave cones. Remnants of these dot the Eastern Snake River Plain today. Layer upon layer of basalt flows extend 3,000 - 6,000 feet (1,000 - 2,000 m) below the surface, completely covering the rhyolite “basement.”
(Left Graphic Description) Sinking Rivers And A Flowing Aquifer
Streams that flow here are indirect tributaries to the Snake River. The aptly named Lost River flows to an area north of here known as “the sinks” where it soaks
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into the ground, becoming part of an aquifer the volume of Lake Erie. The aquifer flows through pores and fractures in the rock hundreds of feet beneath the surface, eventually emerging from springs along the Snake River Canyon at Thousand Springs about 100 miles (160 km) to the southwest.
(Middle Graphic Description) Big Southern Butte
Big Southern Butte, rising 2,500 feet (760 m) above the Eastern Snake River Plain, is a prominent reminder of the regions volcanism. About 300,000 years ago, the butte intruded through surrounding layers of basalt, rising to an elevation of 7,560 feet (2,300 m). It is one of the largest composite rhyolite domes in the world.
(Right Graphic Description)
Ancient calderas are evidence of the North American Continents movement over the Yellowstone hotspot.
When Yellowstone Caldera erupted 640,000 years ago, it released about 240 cubic miles (1,000 km 3) of material, covering half of North America in 6 feet (2 m) of debris.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Natural Features.
Location. 43° 32.911′ N, 113° 0.548′ W. Marker
Photographed by Duane Hall, September 17, 2010
2. Big Southern Butte
View from US 20 in Craters of the Moon National Monument approximately 20 miles west of marker
is near Arco, Idaho, in Butte County. It can be reached from U.S. 20 at milepost 265, 1.2 miles west of Van Buren Boulevard, on the right when traveling east. Marker is located at the Lost River Rest Area. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Arco ID 83213, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Idaho Sawtooth Range and in Eastern Idaho and the Yellowstone Fringe. It is also in the American Mountain West. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 5 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Prehistory and Recent History (here, next to this marker); Lost River (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Nuclear Reactors (about 300 feet away); Oliver Three Disc Gang Plow (approx. 2.6 miles away); EBR-I (approx. 2.6 miles away).
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on February 5, 2014, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas. This page has been viewed 1,082 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on February 5, 2014, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas.
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