Craters of the Moon is a large lava flow field with cinder cones, spatter cones, lava tubes, volcanic bombs and tree molds. It is located along the north border of the Snake River Plain in Idaho. It was declared a national monument by President Calvin Coolidge in 1924. The monument contains 55 cones with lava flows and 14 fissures, many of which have spatter cones. Many of the cinder cones are higher on one side due to strong winds during their eruptions. The Great Rift is a line of cones and lava vents that runs for 13 miles (21 km) through the monument. Fissures from this rift are the vents for the youngest lavas in the area. The youngest Craters of the Moon lavas are approximately 1500 to 2000 years old. These lavas are basaltic.
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Sources of Information:
Greely, Ronald and King, John, "Volcanism of the Eastern Snake River Plain, Idaho: a Comparative Planetary Geology Guidebook," Office of Planetary Geology, NASA, Washington, D.C., 308 pp., August 1977.
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