death valley, new discoveries, volcano

Death Valley’s Ubehebe Crater Reveals Volcanic Hazard Areas Are Underestimated

When magma bubbles up toward Earth’s surface and meets groundwater, steam pressure builds, sometimes bursting into eruptions that spew currents of hot ash, such as the Ubehebe Crater in Death Valley, potentially burning and asphyxiating people and burying nearby cities. Take, for example, similar ash currents that formed during the eruptions at Mount Vesuvius, which were ...

Troy Oakes

Ubehebe and Little Hebe craters in Death Valley, California.

Rare Snow Covers Joshua Tree National Park

The dry landscape of Joshua Tree National Park was covered in layers of white due to a rare snowfall around Christmas time, making it a joyous and picturesque surprise for visitors. The substantial temperature drop in southeastern California owing to the storm last week made way for a snowy carpet for those who trekked through ...

Raven Montmorency

Rare snowfall in Joshua Tree National Park