Earth’s subterranean pulse runs strong beneath Lassen Volcanic National Park. Looming over the landscape is Lassen Peak, the world’s largest plug volcano. Around this southernmost volcano in the Cascade Range seethes a garden of geothermal curiosities—bubbling mud pots, steaming sulfur vents, and boiling hot springs—plus three more types of volcanoes.
Over the past three million years, the Lassen Volcanic Center has spewed gouts of hot ash, superheated gases, pumice, and other pyroclastic materials across the region. Bare cinders and lava rocks blanket entire hillsides today.
Snowmelt from Mount Lassen feeds lakes, streams, and wet meadows from the four watersheds that thread through the park.
Lassen Volcanic National Park lies at the intersection of three great biological provinces: the Cascade Range to the north, the Sierra Nevada to the south, and the Great Basin to the east. The park’s geographical location, together with the its 5,000-foot elevation range and variety of soils, supports a rich variety of animals and plants. These range from thermophilic algae and bacteria that tint the hot springs lurid hues, to the whitebark pines and Clark’s nutcrackers of the alpine zone. One of North America’s most endangered mammals, the Sierra Nevada fox, also occurs here.
Lassen Field Station is a partnership between Lassen Volcanic National Park and the Natural Reserve System. The field station links researchers and classes with the spectacular volcanic landscapes of the Lassen region. The park is surrounded by a vast area of National Forest, which also hosts active research and management programs. The field station is the only outpost of the Natural Reserve System in far northern California. Researchers and instructors can work with UC Davis and National Park Service staff to tailor the logistics of their visits and ensure conformation with application and permitting requirements.
Educational Outreach
Researchers have nearly unlimited opportunities to share their work with audiences such as park resource staff and public visitors. Citizen science projects are underway in the area around the main visitor center. Local schools also integrate the park into their curricula, offering pathways for researchers to reach K-12 audiences.
Selected Research
- Local adaptation of Streptanthus tortuosus across elevational and latitudinal gradients
- Investigations of prebiotic analogue conditions for the origin of life
- Surveys of fish in lakes and streams of the Park
Contact Information
Jeffrey Clary
UC Davis Natural Reserves
The Barn, One Shields Ave
Davis, CA 95616
Phone/Fax: 530-752-9178
jjclary@ucdavis.edu
Location
Lassen Volcanic National Park, with headquarters in Mineral, CA, approximately 2.5 hours northeast of the UC Davis campus.
Facilities
Reserved camp sites for academic users, classroom/meeting space by reservation, waived park entrance fees. Other spaces may be available with advance notice; contact reserve director.
Data resources
The NPS Inventory and Monitoring Program has long term records of the following at Lassen Volcanic National Park:
- Early Detection of InvasiveSpecies
- Lake Water Quality & Aquatic Communities
- Land Cover & Land Use
- Landbird Communities
- Streams Water Quality & Aquatic Communities
- Terrestrial Vegetation
- Whitebark Pine
Species lists are available at publicly accessible portals:
Personnel
National Park Service staff are onsite. Reservations and research coordination will be handled jointly by UC Davis Natural Reserve staff and National Park Service staff.
Size
Lassen Volcanic National Park includes more than 43,000 hectares (106,000 acres). Lassen National Forest surrounds the park.
Elevation
1,608 to 3,187 m (5,275 to 10,457 ft.)
Average Temperatures
January: -6.2 to 4.7ºC (20.8 – 40.4ºF)
July: 9.9 to 31.3ºC (49.8-88.4ºF)