Last eruption About 10,000 Years Ago Designated May 1973 Prominence 76 m | Mountain type Cinder cone Easiest route Trail Elevation 300 m | |
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Similar Pisgah Crater, Cima Dome & Volcanic, Wizard Island, Sunset Crater, Lava Butte | ||
A visit to amboy crater
Amboy Crater is an extinct North American cinder cone type of volcano that rises above a 70-square-kilometer (27 sq mi) lava field in southern California. It is a National Natural Landmark located in the Eastern Mojave Desert and within Mojave Trails National Monument, in San Bernardino County, California.
Contents
- A visit to amboy crater
- Map of Amboy Crater California USA
- Amboy crater national landmark full crater tour with lava field san bernardino county california
- LocationEdit
- DescriptionEdit
- VisitingEdit
- MediaEdit
- References
Map of Amboy Crater, California, USA
It is equidistant and about 75 miles (120 km) between Barstow to the west and Needles to the east, and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south of historic U.S. Route 66, near the town of Amboy, California in San Bernardino County, California. Amboy Crater was designated the Amboy Crater National Natural Landmark in May, 1973.
Amboy crater national landmark full crater tour with lava field san bernardino county california
LocationEdit
The Amboy Crater's location is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) southwest of the town of Amboy and the Route 66-National Trails Highway. The Bullion Mountains are to the west, and Bristol Mountains to the northeast.
DescriptionEdit
This cinder cone is estimated to be 79,000 years old (+/- 5,000 years) and was formed in layers of mostly vesicular pahoehoe – during the Pleistocene geological period. The interior has a lava lake. Lava flows as old as Amboy Crater itself blanket the surrounding area. The most recent eruption was approximately 10,000 years ago.
The crater is 944 ft (288 m) above sea level, about 250 ft (76 m) above the surrounding basalt lava plains. The scenic and solitary Amboy Crater was a popular sight and stop for travelers on U.S. Route 66 in California before the opening of Interstate 40 in 1973. Other than a stretch of U.S. Route 66 in New Mexico, Amboy Crater was one of few extinct volcanoes along the entire route, so generations of U.S. Route 66 travelers from the 1920s through the 1960s could boast that they had climbed a real volcano. Visits decreased after Interstate 40 opened, but have increased in recent years with the nearby Mitchell Caverns, Mojave National Preserve, and renewed historical tourism interest in "old Route 66."
VisitingEdit
The Federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recommends using the Western Cone Trail to reach the volcano peak's rim, a steep and rocky hiking trail. The trailhead is at the Amboy Crater day use parking area, which provides shaded and open picnic tables and public restrooms. Regular desert precautions apply here: being alert for rattlesnakes and old military explosives, and having a hat, sunscreen, sturdy shoes, and abundant drinking water. Educational and organized groups are advised to contact the BLM before heading out to Amboy Crater.
MediaEdit
The desert around Amboy Crater was featured on the cover art of the 2008 Rush album Snakes & Arrows Live.
Amboy Crater was featured in the Viceland network show Abandoned. Season 1, episode 6; "Route 66".