two smaller volcanoes and one large cinder cone in the distance
a smooth black lava flow with many wrinkles and folds that moved slightly downhill in the direction of the camera, some small plants are growing in it
wavy folds of gray lava rock with blue streaks of colof
a closeup of a blue gray lava rock with a scaly surface
Pahoehoe lava and North Crater
two impressions of the bases of standing trees left in lava rock next to a hiking stick of the same height and a third horizontal impression
a cinder cone volcano with slopes covered in sagebrush viewed from a trail
a volcanic crater with a flat sagebrush-covered center surrounded by dark lava rock walls
a road winds alongside a smooth black cinder cone with a few small plants along the road, two small people can be seen walking down one side
the end of a black lava flow with a billowy cloud-like shape
a round gray rock that appears to have a cracked shell like an egg
a large brown rock with a pointed shape
a rounded, reddish rock with a lumpy, twisted shape and cracking on the surface
a smooth rounded rock with a slight U shape and a cracked surface like an eggshell
a black rock with a twisted, crusty appearance and patches of gray
a rock formation that has a rounded shape with a smooth crust and smaller, broken fragments around the edges
a tall pile of dark chunky rocks on a flat dark cinder ground
a smooth, wide ribbon of rock cutting across a field of black chunky rocks with a cinder cone and road in the distance
a dark cinder slope covered with small plants with tiny white leaves and round yellow flowers with a tall cinder cone in the distance
closeup of several small black and reddish stones with many air bubbles, three of the rocks have a shiny multicolored glaze on them
a rock about the size of the hand holding with many bands of a shiny blue and rainbow-colored glaze
a rock larger than the hand holding it with many bands of a blue, shiny glaze
a closeup of a small black rock with many air holes and a shiny multicolored glaze
a black rock with a triangular, cream colored
a hand holding a small black rock with a whitish fragment in it, the fragment is about 5 mm long
a field of dark gray rocks of varying shapes and sizes on a black cinder hillside with a large cinder cone in the distance
a smooth, wide ribbon of rock cutting across a field of black chunky rocks with a dark cinder cone in the distance
a bluish black lava flow with sparse vegetation in front of several large black and reddish rocky outcrops
a lava tube cave that has collapsed and filled with broken rocks, revealing part of a passage stretching left and right
A visitor stands on a small trail along the left wall of a large cave room piled with large rocks colored with white, yellow, and orange lichen
a woman with a backpack walking on top of a large pile of boulders in a large cave room underneath a large hole in the ceiling
a woman with a backpack walking down a staircase into a large cave opening lined with many large, broken rocks
black rocks with thick wrinkly folds in front of a large cinder cone
A chain of several round, volcanic craters along a ridge in the landscape leading toward a distant mountain range. One crater has another, smaller crater inside. Several other cinder cones are visible in the distance.
reddish brown rock outcrop with black lava fields and mountains in the distance
three tall chunks of reddish black rocks between a chunky black lava field and a smooth vegetated lava flow with green mountains in the distance
Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve

Blue Dragon Closeup

The Blue Dragon Lava Flow is one of the youngest lava flows in the park and has a bluish glaze on the surface. This is caused by trace amounts of titanium. Some spots have more blue than others. The color is only present on the surface and the rock becomes red if broken.

NPS Photo
515 x 800
0.4 MB

Copyright and Usage Info

*Images credited to NPS without any copyright symbol are public domain. Images credited with a copyright symbol (indicating that the creator may maintain rights to the work) or credited to any entity other than NPS must not be presumed to be public domain; contact the host park or program to ascertain who owns the material.

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