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Ubehebe Crater in Death Valley California is one of the
regions most striking geological features. The eruption forming Ubehebe
Crater occurred 6,000 years ago when underground water came into contact
with a massive river of molten rock. The resultant steam pressure caused
a titanic explosion that reduced most of the volcano into fragments
and ash. The crater that remains, called Ubehebe, “Big Basket
in the Stones”, by the local Native Americans, is over half a
mile wide and nearly 800 feet deep.
Visitors to the Ubehebe Crater will find much to enjoy. In the springtime
the upper slopes are colored yellow and purple by the micro-flowers
blooming in the ink-black ash. The hike down from the rim offers a great
view of Ubehebe Crater geology as it passes a broad, colorful range
of variated, buckled strata. The bottom of the crater is a bed of pink
and brown mud that has been the site of many short-lived lakes. Hiking
back up is, unsurprisingly, more strenuous as the loose volcanic rock
offers little purchase.
The area around Ubehebe Crater is no less interesting thanks to the
numerous cinder cones and craters formed by the regions violent volcanic
history. The Little Hebe Crater, for example, is nearly as visually
arresting as its bigger brother. Both are easily reachable via a paved
road, and are only a short distance away from Scotty’s Castle.
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