day 11

Had breakfast and left the camp at 8 am to Newberrry national park to tour the volcano and see all the views this area has. I have yet to take my geology class and don’t know much about geology, but I learned so much and had such a good time today learning about the different types of volcanic rocks and how the lava actually flowed out of the top. 




Christine, a volunteer worker at the lava station, gave us a quick rundown of the types of rocks that can be found throughout the area, such as Basalt, a common rock. Obsidian, igneous, cinder, and metamorphic.




Obsidian, igneous, cinder, and metamorphic. We got to feel and look at each rock as well. Hearing her talk about the rocks and geology inspired me to possibly pick it up and learn more. 









Then we got on a bus to Lava Butte; the views there were amazing. Took some group photos, then walked the Lava Butte Trail that looped around to the parking lot at the top. 






I learned that there are so many volcanic hills and that there is a shield form of a volcano that is very deceiving, as it is the most dangerous and chaotic of the bunch. So I learned that Yellowstone is a bit tame compared to this. It’s all new to me, so I’ve tried to retain as much information as I could and took dozens of photos. 


After getting a bus ride to the top of the cinder cone volcano, we were able to get a tour of the cave nearby. Before we went in, we had to dust our shoes off to not bring in anything, and we got to use a big flashlight to be able to see down there. 



The cave is home to 14 species of bats, and the whole cave works together to keep it up. It was my first time going into a cave; it was super dark, and the temperature was a solid 45 degrees. The cave was formed of layers and layers of different lava flows, and the ground we were walking on top of was actually ash from the Mazama volcano eruption.





Each layer on this is different types of ash and lava that flowed down, so it's kind of like how you can see how old a tree is by the number of rings there are. I found it interesting.





 


I thought it was just basalt or some sort of sand. The cave was about a mile long, with an abrupt end, and we took a group picture together, then walked back to the top. I was worried I would’ve gotten claustrophobic or get spooked out, but I had a great time learning about it all and how important it is to keep it under control for the bats. 






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