Glass Mountain Ridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Glass Mountain Ridge |
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 Glass Mountain Ridge
Location in California
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 10,505 ft (3,202 m) NAVD 88 |
| Geography | |
| Location | Mono County, California, U.S. |
| Topo map | USGS |
Glass Mountain Ridge is a cool natural feature in Mono County, California. It's like a long, narrow mountain top. This ridge stands tall at about 10,505 feet (3,202 meters) above sea level. It's a really interesting place for geology!
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Exploring Glass Mountain Ridge
Glass Mountain Ridge is a long, high stretch of land. It's found in the eastern part of California. Think of it as a giant natural wall that stretches across the landscape.
How Glass Mountain Ridge Was Formed
This ridge is special because it's made from old volcanic activity. It sits right on the edge of a huge ancient volcano called the Long Valley Caldera. A caldera is a big bowl-shaped hollow that forms after a volcano erupts and collapses.
Over a very long time, between 2.1 million and 800,000 years ago, Glass Mountain Ridge was built up by many volcanic eruptions.
Volcanic Rocks and Flows
The ridge is made of different kinds of volcanic rock. These include lava domes, which are like piles of thick, sticky lava that oozed out slowly. There are also regular lava flows, which are streams of molten rock that cooled and hardened.
Another type of material found here is called pyroclastic flows. These are fast-moving currents of hot gas and volcanic rock fragments. The rocks here are mostly rhyolite, which is a light-colored volcanic rock.
Location and Importance
Glass Mountain Ridge forms the northeast edge of the Long Valley Caldera. This area is known for its amazing volcanic history. Scientists study the ridge to learn more about how volcanoes work and how the Earth's surface changes over millions of years.
