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OBSIDIAN

FLOW

GLASS CREEK

FLOW

Crestview

Arcularius Ranch Big

Springs

Alpers Canyon

Deadman Creek

NORTH DEADMAN

CREEK DOME

Deer

Mountain

DEADMAN CREEK

FLOW

Dry Creek

Sand Flat

Gilbert

Peak

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DOME

fragmental dacite

upper Soda Springs

campground

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2861

DOME

2781

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Crater Flat

CRATERS

Main

Lodge

Dry

Creek

DRY CREEK

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MAMMOTH

KNOLLS

DOME

Knolls

Vista

Town of

Mammoth Lakes 

Mammoth Creek

PEAK 2506

Canyon

Lodge

Shady Rest

Park

The

Village

Juniper Ridge

Lone Tree

Hill

Valentine

Reserve

Timber

Ridge

Laurel

Creek

Creek

Sherwin

Whitmore

Hot Springs

Hot Creek

Fish Hatchery

Mammoth Yosemite Airport

Chance Ranch

Laurel

Mountain

RED

CONES

PUMICE

BUTTE

CONE

2962

Crystal Crag

Creek

Crater

Creek Deer

M a m m o t h C r e s t

Cold Water 

Creek

Lakes Basin

McLeod

Lake

Boundary

Creek

Mammoth Pass

WEST MOAT COULEE

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White Wing Mountain

Lookout

Mountain

Fumarole Valley

Casa Diablo

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Campground 

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Creek

HOT CREEK

FLOW

King Creek

Lost Dog

Lake Minaret

Falls

DEVILS

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Lake

Reds Creek

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Dragons

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119°07’30’’ 119°05’ 119°02’30’’ 119° 118°57’30’’ 118°55’ 118°52’30’’ 118°50’

119°07’30’’ 119°05’ 119°02’30’’ 119° 118°57’30’’ 118°55’ 118°52’30’’

37°32’30’’

37°35’

37°42’30’’

37°40’

37°45’

37°45’

37°42’30’’

37°40’

37°37’30’’

37°35’

37°32’30”

37°37’30’’

118°50’ 118°47’30’’

Any use of trade, product, or firm names in this publication is for descriptive purposes only 

and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government

For sale by U.S. Geological Survey, Information Services, Box 25286, Federal Center, 

Denver, CO 80225, 1–888–ASK–USGS

Digital files available at http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/pp1812

Suggested citation: Hildreth, Wes, and Fierstein, Judy, 2016, Eruptive history of Mammoth 

Mountain and its mafic periphery: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1812, 128 p., 

2 plates, scale 1:24,000, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/pp1812.

ISSN 1044-9612 (print)

ISSN 2330-7102 (online)

http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/pp1812

Eruptive History of Mammoth Mountain and its Mafic Periphery, California

By

Wes Hildreth and Judy Fierstein

2016

Geology mapped by Wes Hildreth and Judy Fierstein 

2004–2012 

GIS database and digital cartography by Joel E. Robinson

Edited by Claire Landowski; digital cartographic 

production by Kathryn Nimz

Manuscript approved for publication January 18, 2015 

Base from U.S. Geological Survey: Bloody Mountain, 1994; 

Convict Lake, 1983; Crestview, 1986; Crystal Crag, 1984; 

Dexter Canyon, 1986; June Lake, 1986; Mammoth Mountain, 

1992; Old Mammoth, 1983; and Whitmore Hot Springs, 1983

Universal Transverse Mercator projection

APPROXIMATE MEAN

DECLINATION, 2016

 13° 

MAGNETIC NORTH

TRUE NORTH

CALIF.

MAP LOCATION

1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 FEET

1 .5 0 1 KILOMETER

SCALE 1:24 000

CONTOUR INTERVAL 40 FEET

NATIONAL GEODETIC VERTICAL DATUM OF 1929

1 1/2 0 1 MILE

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Professional Paper 1812

Plate 1 of 2

Pamphlet accompanies map

Rainbow Falls, 2.5 km downstream from Devils Postpile on the Middle Fork San Joaquin River, drops 30 m over a receding ledge of 99-ka 

phenocryst-poor trachydacite (unit drf). At the right, on the left-bank rim only, the platy dacite is overlain by a massive flow of 97-ka 

phenocryst-poor trachyandesite (unit amp). Both units erupted high on the east rim of the canyon at the later site of Mammoth Mountain, 

descended to the canyon bottom, and flowed along the granitic canyon floor for several kilometers. Both were severely eroded by the Middle 

Fork glacier during MIS 2 (Tioga glaciation in the Sierra Nevada).

Mammoth Mountain and Lakes Basin, viewed northward from Mammoth Crest. Draping the cirque wall of Cretaceous granite on Mammoth Crest at the left, an eroded red scoria cone 

(unit bmc) is the source of 92-ka lava flows of phenocryst-rich basalt (unit bfh) that extend 18 km, all the way to Hot Creek. Crystal Lake in foreground. Twin Lakes, at the foot of the Dragons 

Back coulees of Mammoth Mountain trachydacite, are 750 m lower than the summit of the trachydacite dome complex.

bmc

Summit of

Mammoth Mountain

Lincoln

Peak Dragons

Back

Dome

2861

Mammoth

Knolls

Bald

Mountain