7/12/2019
At 10:30 we arrived at Lava Butte and hiked up to a view point to see the side of which the lava flowed out of. The museum inside told us of how long ago the lava erupted and how it formed its shape. It was 300,000 years ago when the Newberry volcano erupted, the magma chamber was emptied causing it to collapse in on its self, forming a caldera. More eruptions later and it was back to the way it looks but by 80,000 years ago the same situation happened and another caldera was formed which is why it looks like it does today. Lava Butte is 7,000 year old cinder cone at the edge of the Newberry volcano, because of the pressure buildup it finally exploded out of the weakest side so all the lava flowed out of one side so only trees grow on the side of the mountain that no lava flowed out of. We also learned that the collapsed in space filled with water and made natural glacial lakes. We waked to a viewpoint on the side of the cinder cone that over looked the side of where the lava spewed out of. There was a ton of signs that talked about what some of the features were, like the huge rocks that were said to be literal fire balls. We were also told about how the trees that somehow grow in the rock land grow crooked because they have to get the water to their branches that way. We took a shuttle up to the top of lookout, it overlooks all of the Lava Butte forest and has one of the highest first reports of fire responses to seeing smoke in all of the forests lookouts. I was then lazy and took the shuttle down while other hiked down. After that we went and did laundry. I also got to talk on the phone with my mom for the first time since we left which made me feel good.

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