Hole-In-The-Wall Camp

Hole-In-The-Wall Camp.  Visited by Scott & Bill Helf, May 2002.

Explore the Volcanic Landscape with us.  Mojave National Preserve serves as a showcase of ancient and modern geologic processes. About 18.5 million years ago a powerful volcanic eruption blasted outward from nearby Woods Mountains. Propelled by the force of rapidly rising and expanding gases, a ground-hugging cloud of ash and rock fragments spread out at near supersonic speeds across the landscape. Some of the rocks thrown out by the blast measure about 40 to 60 feet across – the largest ejecta ever documented. Hot, suffocating ash buried every living thing in the path of the blast. Nearly 232 square miles were covered with ash and rock fragments so hot that they welded together after reaching the ground. The toasted and fossilized remains of birds, mammals, and plants lie entombed beneath the volcanic tuff that forms the colorful cliffs of Hole in the Wall.