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Soda Lakes

Maar(s) in United States

Key Facts

Elevation

1,251 m (4,104 ft)

Type

Maar(s)

Location

39.525°, -118.878°

Region

Basin and Range Volcanic Province

Rock Type

Basalt / Picro-Basalt

Tectonic Setting

Rift zone

Location

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Overview

Two lake-filled maars, Soda Lake and Little Soda Lake, lie NW of the town of Fallon. The basaltic maars were formed subaerially, post-dating the Pleistocene glacial Lake Lahontan, and were estimated to be less than 10,000 years old and perhaps even less than 1,500 years old (Garside and Schilling, 1979; Price and LaPointe, 1998). Soda Lake is about 1.

3 x 2 km elongated NE-SW. The 300-m-wide Little Soda Lake lies south of Soda Lake. The late-Pleistocene Upsal Hogback cones lie to the NNE of Soda Lakes.

The maars are the site of a geothermal prospect that may have discharged hot springs through the end of the 19th century.

Volcanic Hazards & Risk Assessment

Primary Hazards

    Risk Level

    Population at RiskModerate
    Infrastructure RiskModerate
    Aviation RiskSignificant

    Geological Composition & Structure

    Rock Types

    Primary
    Basalt / Picro-Basalt
    Silica Content
    Low (45-52% SiO₂)

    Tectonic Setting

    Rift zone
    Continental rift or intraplate setting with varied eruptive styles.

    Age & Formation

    Epoch
    Holocene
    Evidence
    Evidence Credible

    Eruption Statistics & Analysis

    MetricValueGlobal RankingSignificance
    Total Recorded EruptionsUnknownLowModerately active volcano
    Maximum VEIVEI UnknownMinorLocal impact potential
    Recent ActivityUnknownHistoricalHistorically active

    Monitoring & Alert Status

    Monitoring Networks

    Global Volcanism Program
    International eruption database

    Current Status

    Normal
    No recent activity. Routine monitoring continues.

    Nearby Volcanoes in North America Volcanic Regions

    Regional Volcanic Activity
    The North America Volcanic Regions contains multiple active volcanic systems. Cross-regional magma interactions and tectonic stresses can influence eruption patterns across the entire arc. Monitor regional seismic activity and volcanic alerts.

    Quick Info

    • Smithsonian ID: 326010
    • Evidence: Evidence Credible
    • Epoch: Holocene

    About the Photo

    Soda Lake maar in west-central Nevada was erupted through sediments of the glacial Lake Lahontan. It is the larger of two lake-filled maars located NW of the town of Fallon. The basaltic maars were estimated to be less than 10,000 years old and perhaps even less than 1500 years old. Soda Lake is about 1.3 x 2 km wide and is elongated in a NE-SW direction; its rim rises only about 35 m above the lake surface. The maars are the site of a geothermal prospect that may have discharged hot springs through the end of the 19th century.

    Photo by Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology.

    Basic Information

    This page shows basic data from the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program. For more detailed information, visit the official Smithsonian page.