Craters of the Moon National Monument: a Taste of Hawaii in the Continental United States

As my wife and I approached Craters of the Moon National Monument, it seemed as though we were back in Hawaii. We had taken our son and daughter to Hawaii in 1999 to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary, and had been warned about the landscape. "Don't let the black rocks throw you off; Hawaii is a beautiful place." We were ready, then, when the plane landed and we saw mile after mile of black volcanic rock covering the island. Hawaii, we learned, is the product of volcanic eruptions.

Craters of the Moon National Monument is located 80 to 90 miles from Idaho Falls or Twin Falls in southeast/south central Idaho. A National Park Service website has much helpful information about Craters of the Moon, including a map, directions, and planning tips.

We had never heard of Craters of the Moon until we told a friend about our proposed trip to the northwest United States. The friend told us that we had to see Craters of the Moon, so we made plans to include it as part of our trip. It became obvious as we approached the area that it, like Hawaii, is a product of volcanic action. According to Robert and Barbara Decker's book, Volcanoes in America's National Parks (see reference information below), Craters of the Moon is a relatively young area geologically, having been produced by volcanic eruptions 2,000 to 15,000 years ago. In a sense, this gives visitors a "fresh" look at what volcanoes can do to affect a landscape.

According to the NPS website, the name of the park came from naturalist Robert Limbert who used the term, "craters of the moon," in an article he wrote for National Geographic in 1924. Limbert and a companion spent about 17 days exploring the area. Unless you have a lot of time, you will want to limit your explorations. The park encompasses 1100 square miles, but it will not take long to get a good idea of the park. A seven mile loop drive will take you to some of the more helpful and interesting sites, including a chance to climb Inferno Cone, a large cinder cone. A cinder cone, according to Wikipedia, is "a steep conical hill of volcanic fragments that accumulate around and downwind from a volcanic vent." Inferno Cone is two tenths of a mile high and involves a tricky climb up and then down. The view from the top is wonderful, however. In addition to the cone, the seven mile loop provides a good overview of how living nature is able to interact with the volcanic rubble.

One of the lessons we brought home from our trip is the huge role that was played by volcanic forces in the creation of much of the landscape of the American west. Instead of a "ring of fire" in the United States, we have a "line of fire," a row of volcanoes reaching from Washington state down into California and also extending east into areas such as Yellowstone National Park and Craters of Moon.

While volcanism accounts for the origin of vast tracts of the United States, it may also be the trigger for the destruction of those same tracts and other areas of our country. Four years ago, while my wife and I were visiting Yellowstone, we learned that an eruption of the volcanic caldera (basically a large volcano) under Yellowstone could drastically affect the western states. That's the best case scenario. The worst case scenario has an eruption drastically affecting all of the states west of the Mississippi River!

[For those with a biblical approach to life and the future, remember that the world was destroyed by Noah's Flood early in the book of Genesis (Genesis 6-8). According to 2 Peter 3:10, the next earthly destruction will be by fire. Could there be a connection between that fire and the volcanic activity that underlies much of the world? It's something to think about for those who take the Bible seriously.]

A walk through the different areas of Craters of the Moon reminds the visitor that volcanic action is incredibly powerful. We don't tell volcanoes what to do and where to send their by-products; we watch to see what they do and then we work around them. That's been true in the past; it will be true in the future. If nothing else, a visit to Craters of the Moon National Monument will drive that home to you.

Sources:

www.nps.gov/crmo/index.htm
Decker, Robert and Barbara, Volcanoes in America's National Parks (Hong Kong: Odyssey Books & Guides, 2007), 190
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinder_cone