Panum Crater at Mono Lake (August 29, 2021)

Tom and I hiked the rim of Panum Crater, a volcanic cone between 600 and 700 years old. Products of the eruption are pumice and obsidian, the volcanic glass that Native Americans used to make arrow points and scrapers. The volcano is not dormant. There's a 2.5% chance of eruption in the coming 10 years and a 22% chance in the next 100 years. The crater is next to Mono Lake.

Desert flowers bloom at the base of the Panum Crater trail.  The backdrop is the Sierra Nevada mountains with one snow patch.

 Rubber rabbitbrush/gray rabbitbrush/camisa is useful in soil stabilization and restoration of disturbed sites. The deep root system establishes quickly and plants produce large quantities of leaf litter, helping to bring nutrients to the soil surface from the deeper rooting profile. Native Americans reportedly used rabbitbrush as a yellow dye, to make a medicinal tea, and for chewing gum. 

Tom sits surrounded by obsidian rock at the Panum Crater plug, the middle bit of the volcano that covers the tempestuous pool of molten lava lurking somewhere below.