11/17 Ubehebe Crater: Death Valley National Park, California

At the north end of Death Valley National Park, there are several volcanic craters, one of which is called Ubehebe
(You-be-he-be) Crater. As you drive up to it, you see black volcanic cinders, but on the crater walls, you see the layers of metamorphosed sandstone and conglomerate rocks beneath it.  

The crater is about 600 feet deep and a half a mile across. It was created somewhere between 2,000 and 300 years ago!

There is a peak in Death Valley National Park that the Paiute call Ubehebe Peak. Loosely translated, this means "basket," but how the name got transferred from the peak to the crater is not known.

The bottom of the crater is covered with colored layers of sediment eroded from the walls of the crater. At times there is even a shallow lake at the bottom of the crater!

Ubehebe Crater, and others like it are called "Maars Volcanoes." They are created when hot magma deep in the earth's crust meets groundwater and the water is instantly vaporized. As the groundwater changes from a liquid to a gas, it expands creating tremendous pressure which is released in an explosion of gas and rocks.

A very steep and difficult trail leads to the rim of the crater. From there you can walk around the rim of the crater, but since we had just hiked about 5 miles in Fall Canyon and it was nearing sunset, Bonnie and I decided walking to the rim of the crater was far enough.

My oldest sister, Bonnie, and her partner, Carl, standing on the rim of Ubehebe Crater. The sign says, "Danger of Falling" because of the loose volcanic rock and the steep sides of the crater. At the rim, the cinders are about 150 feet deep, but as you move away from the rim, the depth of the cinders decreases.

The Ubehebe Rim trail passes by several smaller craters. Carl went to investigate while Bonnie and I relaxed on the rim.

Carl took this photograph on the rim trail. It shows the rim of another crater in the distance.

Carl also took this photograph showing the bottom of another crater.

The view of the road and parking lot from the rim of Ubehebe Crater. You can see how far the explosion that created these craters sent volcanic cinders flying.

The sun was starting to set, so it was time to go.....