Cinder Cones National Natural Landmark - nr Cima, CA
N 35° 09.318 W 115° 47.426
11S E 610168 N 3890935
A large lava field dotted with cinder cones and lava tubes await the intrepid explorer here in the Mojave Desert.
Waymark Code: WMQVN0
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 04/01/2016
Views: 31
The waymark coordinates are for the intersection of Kelbaker Road and Aiken Mine Road, a dirt road (4-WD RECOMMENDED) which leads to a Lava Tube you can enter and explore AT YOUR OWN RISK.
From the NPS website: (
visit link)
"Driving across the Mojave Desert on Interstate 15 or Kelbaker Road, visitors might notice a series of peculiar features on the horizon: thirty-two conical mounds of red and black volcanic rocks rise abruptly above the desert landscape. Surrounded by a sea of hardened lava flows, these little volcanos—cinder cones—began erupting into existence 7.6 million years ago. Lava last flowed just 10,000 years ago. Abundant and well preserved, these geologic features were designated as Cinder Cone National Natural Landmark in 1973.
Volcanic eruptions don’t occur everywhere. Several “ingredients” must combine at the right place and time. While the geologic complexities of Southern California are still under investigation, many researchers think that faulting, block movement, and associated magma production are key ingredients contributing to the recipe for cinder cones and lava flows in Mojave National Preserve."