Craters Of The Moon National Monument Turns 100! Geology Of This Exceptional Monument

[@shawnwillsey]

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[@RWBHere]

Thanks Shawn. That's a fascinating region. And still likely to experience more eruptions.

[@waltergutherie9935]

This is one National Monument that should be up graded to a National Park, it is so beautiful and fascinating.

[@briane173]

13:30 The cone we've been intensely watching form NE of Grindavik is the perfect analog for how this agglutinated spatter came to be in COTM.

[@estherlwhittle7568]

YES! I have been fascinated by the eruptions I'm Iceland. 😊

[@oscarmedina1303]

Thanks Shawn. I visited COTM several years ago. Missed the cave but loved exploring the sections I got to visit. Learned some more new things from your video. Thanks for posting it.

[@valeriemiddleton675]

Mr Willsey first time I found you was at Craters of the Moon. Had to follow you. Learned so much about geology. Thanks love all your vids.

[@causewaykayak]

So much to appreciate and to learn in these videos. I liked the "calendar" format too.

[@saimaleon7115]

Fascinating. Look forward to seeing it in person in the June field trip.

[@TerryBollinger]

Oldest weather report I've ever heard: “Powerful northerly winds today. Stay south of any cinder cone eruptions!”

[@Selah-dl3ef]

Gives me a view of the inside of the volcano in Iceland.Makes me 🤔.Thanks Shawn🐒

[@ped832]

At 31:44...I was in that tube back in the early '80's. I see access has greatly improved since then. I and my compatriots were doing maintenance work on the paved portions of the trail that existed at the time. Shawn, you're bringing back memories (history) in more ways than one.

[@williamlloyd3769]

Funny to see these sights covered in snow! Thanks for the knowledge.

[@realityjunky]

Why did I find it so funny to see that snow?? Prob cuz I've only been there in the summer. Thank you for this wonderful vid! Brings back so many memories!

[@flyingardilla143]

I remember being there in an intense May snow fall. It added to the other-worldly feel of the place.

[@davec9244]

That was one of the best I have ever seen thank you very good job. stay safe ALL

[@xwiick]

Thanks for all of your hard work man!

[@DawnDavies-ln3nn]

Hope you landed safely. Have a super time xx

[@hestheMaster]

Thanks for piecing together your visits to this amazing volcanic area of Idaho, considered dormant now but inbetween long active times which may probably reoccur, possibly in our lifetime. Then you won't travel so far ( like Iceland ) to see some very cool and interesting volcanic activity and all in your own state!

[@joshsmith3650]

I elk hunt near sisters Oregon and I found a lava tube hole that went down further than I could see. We had 16” of snow on the ground so I didn’t get close enough to check it out but made a way point to go back in summer

[@TheDevice9]

I've visited COTM so many times I've lost count but somehow I've never seen those Lava Trees. Those are pretty cool.

[@JanClancey]

Oh I love these… watching again after the 101 series it all makes more sense thank you Shawn 😊

[@marinangeli3250]

Thank you, Shawn... that was pure eye candy, start to finish!

[@runninonempty820]

August of last year I visited COTM, I became a little kid again, exploring the park. I also went through the cave that you showed at the end of the video, my wife had turned around and went out the way we came in. You should have seen her shocked face when I popped up out of that hole and took the trail back to the entrance!

[@jacquie-h4530]

It felt like I was actually on a field trip with you to Craters of the Moon. I loved the way you explained things up close. I learned a lot from this. Thank you.

[@kaytea2983]

Thanks for this video. Fantastic to see the place snow-covered in winter.

[@sasqetshenkley1190]

I discovered my own private lava tube. I stepped a pit in the south Boise desert, cleared the entrance of tumbleweed and animal bones and I'll be damned there isn't an entirely unknown, pristine lava tube down there.. I want to take you there sometime, Coach.

[@kaboom4679]

Congratulations .

[@holly50575]

Very cool!!!!

[@gabsy6443]

I have been in a lava tube in Lanzarote that an artist had turned into a home. Very beautiful.

[@terrigoggin4443]

What a great find!!!

[@maurasmith-mitsky762]

Thanks!

[@pmgn8444]

Thanks for the collection of videos. Craters Of The Moon is a cool place! Had a chance to visit in 2010.

[@brucedymock6635]

This was great to watch after following our adventures in Iceland with spatter cones etc great timing thanks

[@TheStormpilgrim]

For all we know, there could be the bones of a geologist buried under the rubble of one of those collapsed lava tubes. That would be ironic.

[@christinedaly2694]

Thank you enjoyed your video was very informative

[@LisaBelleBC]

Fascinating per usual! Thanks for the trip!

[@LizWCraftAdd1ct]

Love the xenoliths and the lava tube.

[@frannysinclair2613]

I watched this live from Kerrville, Tx on my Television, Didn't find a "like" thumbs up so I'm enjoying it again !☺

[@karenloveless4129]

We've been twice❤ The first time was about 35-40 years ago in the hottest time of July. I was kind of a nervous wreck, with all our littles. Last year, we went for our second time In early June. It was so beautiful with all of the wildflowers and cooler temperatures!❤

[@timothyboles6457]

I went to Craters of the Moon in my mid teens, and was fascinated by it. I've been watching the various eruption activities in the past few years in Hawaii and Iceland. And watching the various types of eruptions, and as you're walking around the monument, seeing exactly the same types of volcanic activities.

[@lakegirl3834]

I was RVing in Idaho and stumbled onto Crater’s of the Moon. Was quite surreal to suddenly drive into it.

[@diedrikbrandsma1958]

I've been in Craters of the Moon NM in 2017. I was amazed by the views from the top of the Inferno Cone. I knew it had something to do with volcanos and was not as interested in geology/volcanology as much as now. Thanks for this informative video. Now I want to go back to discover it myself, knowing all this new things!

[@margaretanneknight615]

This is so cool to get to learn about geological features and history from someone who’s such an enthusiastic and articulate teacher. Never dreamed I’d find geology so interesting. Thanks, coach!💐

[@scottsluggosrule4670]

Looks like melted candle wax in those tubes..awesome video.

[@kariknight6287]

Love Craters of the Moon.

[@RedHeart64]

This brings back memories! I was there as a little kid back in the early 60s with my parents. I remember some of the scenes you showed. I also remember going with my parents to a place where obsidian was found - where we spent an afternoon looking for red obsidian (while we were at Craters of the Moon). I remember an adult being there where we were searching to help people. I don't remember us finding any red obsidian, but there was black obsidian at that place. I'm curious if anyone has done trace element analysis on the different flows. My mentor (archaeology) is known for that, and I've helped him many times with analyzing obsidian on his pXRF. I've always wanted to return to Craters of the Moon again - I can say that the area seems much greener than when we were there!

[@ped832]

You continue to fascinate me, as well as educate. Thanks for your content.

[@brucedymock6635]

Thanks

[@shawnwillsey]

Much appreciated

[@joannekellam191]

Great compilation! So interesting to see different parts of the park and at different times of year. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

[@sheilaathay2034]

Thanks Shawn!🎉❤

[@davidk7324]

Great review for June Shawn.

[@sandrine.t]

Hey Shawn! I had already watched all your COTM videos separately but I really enjoyed watching them again in this great compilation, thanks :) Before subscribing to your YT channel (thanks again to @Mandie Jo :) I had no idea there was a place called Craters of the Moon... on Earth!! I wish I could visit this unique area one day and go down Indian Tunnel lava tube and see its stunning drip features... And I really like the lava trees and would love to see them up close! Off topic: it's so cool that you and Gylfi are planning to meet :) Who knows, maybe you'll witness the beginning of eruption #8 together...? Enjoy your stay in Iceland, take care!

[@mhkaroly]

The lava tube reminds me of one north of Mt. Lassen in California.

[@sheilaathay2034]

We had a crazy one near Mt. St. Helens. Called the Ape Caves. Much like the one in California

[@Travelling_Jonoberries]

Shawn, just watched Just Icelandic “Gylfi” and heard the great news that you are on your way over to meet up and conduct another Geological Episode, great news buddy. Sorry to post this comment when not directly related to this topic. Thank once again for you knowledge and vast experience coupled with such a wonderful teaching ability. Take care, safe travels and god bless 👍😇🌋

[@zonderafspraak]

Those lava trees are amazing!!!

[@stephenhudson8739]

I saw a spatter cone at Sunset Crater Arizona years ago

[@vladimirtodt6460]

31:33 left bottom corner: Mr. Yoda in his cave.😲

[@estherlwhittle7568]

😂😂😂

[@jacktoy3032]

I visited around mid-June last year.

[@estherlwhittle7568]

What about the lava caves near Mountaun Home Air Force Base in Idaho? My brother, Larry, explored them when he was stationed at the Air Force Base in the late 1960s. When he first discovered the caves, most had ice in them in the spring. By the time Mom and I visited him in late summer, the ice had melted. The locals told my brother that the Shishone used the icy caves to store meat & other food for centuries. The caves sort of rise up out of the flat dessert.

[@distantgalaxymusic1447]

Do you have any videos on the volcano cone near Carey? 43°07’26”N 113°50’16”W I think I want to drive out there and see it!

[@mkilptrick]

Thankyou for posting the names of the rock types on the screen.

[@michaelhansen6977]

I really loved my trip to Craters of the Moon.

[@DaveBartholomew-uf6sm]

I have been by there and through the park many times. Now learning what I saw. Hope to get back there some day to see friends in Rexburg. The stretching to of the earths crust you describe, does that extend down into Northern Nevada? Looking at in on Google Earth, it appears that may be an extension of the Idaho topography. I have been over Hwy 50 a number of times and always curious how those north/south mountains got that way.

[@marymachunis3778]

Utterly fascinating. I wonder how the names were decided on.

[@jackbelk8527]

Lava names are Hawaiian. Most volcanic terms are Italian.

[@lukedawg2787]

At some point I would love to see a more in-depth video/explanation as to WHY these rifts zones even exist in the first place and WHY they are almost always located on the opposite side of the volcanic mountain range from the subduction zone. I have done my own research on it and have a very good understanding of them but through my research I only found 1 research paper that explained the connection between these eruption events in the back arc/rift zones and the build-up of stress/stress levels along the subduction zone. Basically, they were noting that eruption events in these rifts zones was a potential sign of how much stress was built up along the plate boundary. Once the plate had been pulled down and stretched to a point that eruptions started in these areas it was at a breaking point. By dating these eruptions and comparing them to large earthquake events on the west coast, they found that it was highly likely that large stress relief earthquake events followed eruption events in the rift zones. Once the stress was relieved, the volcanic activity subsided. I have no clue how much truth there is to this which is why I was hoping for someone like Shawn to look into it. I mean think about it, if that was true then technically mother nature is giving us a huge heads up as to what is about to come.

[@JennaFerrari]

They got it right. Moons mirror reflection, craters on earth mirrored on moon.

[@vladimirtodt6460]

And now we will see the same video about spattercones from Iceland.🤗1-3 years old only.

[@maurinedoyle9964]

Is the inside of the tube, where the oozing along the sides, is it glass like lava?

[@dougsundseth6904]

That embedded piece of granulite would seem to indicate that the eruption was quite energetic indeed. If it were not, the granulite would likely have melted before it could be deposited.

[@kaboom4679]

Granulite xenoliths in basalt lavas , erupted concurrent with crustal extension , gets my attention . This is enhanced by the fairly low volatility of the basalt . There's some possibilities there for an astute prospector .

[@SawyerAndGretch]

Amazing eruption. Iceland in Idaho. Though Craters of The Moon is not what I would call it. When was this named?

[@Backroad_Junkie]

It was named in 1923 by Harold T. Stearns, who said it looked like, "The surface of the moon as seen trough a telescope." It was featured in a National Geographic that year, and the name stuck. It became a National Monument in 1924. In 1903, Horatio Nelson Jackson was the first guy (along with his mechanic and dog) to drive an automobile from San Francisco to New York. They passed right by the area: "June 15, 1903. The country took on a new character. Soaring heights of denuded slopes. Monstrous cliffs and giant boulders scattered in magnificent confusion." I think Magnificent Confusion National Monument would have been a better name... 😁 (BTW, Apollo astronauts did visit the NM in 1969, but it was to learn about volcanic geology, and had nothing to do with craters or the moon...)

[@Backroad_Junkie]

I've seen the "Why is is named that" in a few comments, so I'll make it a general post... It was named in 1923 by a geologist Harold T. Stearns, who said it looked like, "The surface of the moon as seen trough a telescope." It was featured in a National Geographic that year, and the name stuck. It became a National Monument in 1924. In 1903, Horatio Nelson Jackson was the first guy (along with his mechanic and dog) to drive an automobile from San Francisco to New York. They passed right by the area: "June 15, 1903. The country took on a new character. Soaring heights of denuded slopes. Monstrous cliffs and giant boulders scattered in magnificent confusion." I think Magnificent Confusion National Monument would have been a better name. 😁 (BTW, Apollo astronauts did visit the Monument in 1969, but it was to learn about volcanic geology, and had nothing to do with craters or the moon...)

[@johnjConnellan]

Off topic, are there any reservoirs to capture melting snow?

[@jackbelk8527]

Most snow in the Snake River Plain just evaporates. The plain is so porous, there is no run-off at all. In fact, The Big Lost River sinks into the Plain just east of COTM.

[@johnjConnellan]

@@jackbelk8527 Now I understand and thank you.

[@jean-francoislemieux5509]

hi! why was it named craters of the moon? how could anybody tell it looked like the moon 100 years ago?

[@wanttopreach]

I was there in 1963

[@jackbelk8527]

It would be great to insert video of current eruptions doing the same things. Etna throwing cinders, Iceland throwing spatter and Hawaiian basalt flow textures as they occur. The photo of the geologist standing on the thin crust above a glowing, rapidly flowing, skylighted lava tube is an attention getter! Great video of a great place but the worst place on earth to wreck a bicycle!

[@causewaykayak]

I live in a peat moorland area and bicycles are a seriously harmful device let loose on virgin moorland soils. In parts of our Welsh national parks their use is forbidden except on specially constructed (and expensive trails). On foot is better for preserving nature. Please ❤!

[@3xHermes]

👍

[@johnfraser9753]

OMG, Shawn! Take the time to shave my brother! Your videos are so informative with your description of the various rock formations, so you have a duty to uphold your professional profile! You know, stiff upper lip, stuffy attitude, what, what!!!! Just kidding! I enjoy your videos and find your teaching style informative and down to earth, pun intended!

[@bobbyshaftowenttosea5410]

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