Lassen Volcanic

1. Lassen Volcanic By: Lauren Curran

2. What Year did my Park Become Official • What Year did my Park Become Official Lassen Volcanic was officially named a national park in the year of 1916 The fifteenth national park established by Congress, Lassen is one of the oldest national parks in the United States. The administrative history, completed in September 2010, discusses how the park was conceived and established and how it is managed to the present day. The historical narrative explores Lassen's unique character and course of development that has led the hidden gem to remain one of the lesser known national parks.

3. How was your Lassen formed • How was your Lassen formed On May 22, 1915, an explosive eruption at Lassen Peak, California, the southernmost active volcano in the Cascade Range, devastated nearby areas and rained volcanic ash as far away as 200 miles to the east. This explosion was the most powerful in a 1914–17 series of eruptions that were the last to occur in the Cascades before the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, Washington. Recent work by scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the National Park Service is shedding new light on these eruptions.

4. What type of rocks are found • Bombs rocks are larger lava fragments that ejected while partially molten and solidify during flight. Many bombs develop rounded shapes as they fly through the air, and others fly through the air as ribbons, folding into contorted shapes as they hit the ground. Bombs are named according to shape, such as ribbon, spindle, cow-dung and round bombs. • Scoria is a glassy volcanic rock usually composed of basalt or andesine. Its bubbly texture is caused by the escape of volcanic gases. Scoria is high in iron and may have an iridescent blue color. Oxidation may lead to a deep reddish-brown color.

5. What Special Land forms do they have What Special Land forms do they have Lassen Volcanic National Park is but one of the active, dormant, or extinct volcanoes that extend around the Pacific Ocean in a great Ring of Fire. This zone of volcanoes and earthquakes marks the edges of plates that form the Earth's crust. Volcanic and seismic disturbances occur as these great slabs override or grind past each other. The theory of plate tectonics holds that as the expanding oceanic crust is thrust beneath the continental plate margins, it penetrates deep enough into the Earth to be partly remolded. Pockets of molten rock (magma) results. These become the feeding chambers for volcanoes.Rocky lands at lower park elevations largely result from geologic disturbances. Such nearly soil free areas can show classic re-vegetation patterns. The Devastated Area is undergoing a succession process of re-vegetation, with herbs, grasses, shrub, and finally, trees retaking the land. Lodge poles, generally the first trees, give way in time to other pines and firs. Although eruptions occurred during the 18th century at Cinder Cone and Fantastic Lava Beds, these areas show no significant vegetative recovery.

6. How has your park currently changed • How has your park currently changed Well my park hasn’t changed that much, it mostly changed on the pollution and littering. To change that the park owners should put more trash cans and recycling bins to help recycle. But other then that my park hasn't made any changes in the landscape.

7. Work sited • http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/1998/fs173-98/ • http://www.lassen.volcanic.national-park.com/info.htm • http://www.nps.gov/lavo/index.htm