Commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Lassen Peak Eruption

On May 22nd, 1915, at around 4:30 p.m. -- after years of worrying rumblings from beneath the surface -- Lassen Peak finally erupted. Fragments of rock, volcanic ash, and pumice shot high into the sky, peaking at more than 30,000 feet into the air. Lava flow rushed out at a rate of nearly 10 miles per hour, melting snow and depositing a layer of ash into the soil. To this day, large sections of forest are sparsely populated by trees because of it. The area would never be the same.

In fact, because of the eruption, the area was turned over to the National Parks Department for further environmental study. On August 9th, 1916, the area was officially opened as Lassen Volcanic National Park. And seeing as this weekend is basically the park's birthday, they have all sorts of wonderful events scheduled.

Starting today (Friday, May 22nd) through Monday (May 25th), the park has a whole slew of activities, for young and old alike. There are presentations on volcano observation, campfire talks with geologists, guided walks along the Devastated Area, and celebrations for the huge eruption itself. For a full list of the scheduled events, head over this way. And if you can't make it to the park this weekend, you can always pencil in a trip for August, when they hold their annual Dark Sky Festival.