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Title Quaternary Volcanoes in Nevada
Author: Craig M. dePolo, Rachel Micander, James E. Faulds
Year: 2026
Series: Open-file Reports
Version: 2026-01
Format: 42" x 40"
Scale: 1:1,000,000
Nevada is a tectonically active state, experiencing hundreds of thousands of
historical earthquakes, hundreds of late Quaternary (the current and most
recent geological period in the Cenozoic Era) faults, and containing over 165
Quaternary volcanoes. A volcano is a vent in the Earth's crust from which
lava, tephra, blocks, and bombs erupt. Lava is the term used to describe
molten rock when it erupts onto the surface of the Earth while magma
is the term used to describe molten rock inside the Earth's crust. The
term “volcano” also refers to landforms built up by erupting material.
Nevada has a long and complex volcanic history, which—among other
things—is associated with the mineralization found across the state
today. In addition to the volcanoes in Nevada, hundreds of
Quaternary volcanoes exist in adjacent states. Some of these
neighboring volcanoes could seriously impact parts of Nevada should
they erupt. This map presents a compilation of vent locations and evidence
of Quaternary volcanoes in Nevada, as well as a discussion of volcanic
characteristics and geographic areas.
Quaternary volcanoes in Nevada occur in groups, known as volcanic Fields, of
which seven have been identified to date. These are the Aurora (AVF), Buffalo
Valley (BVVF), Clayton-Columbus (CCVF), Lahontan Valley (LVVF), Lunar
Crater (LCVF), southwest Nevada (SWNVF), and western Nevada (WNVF)
volcanic fields. In general, Quaternary volcanic activity in these fields is part of
longer-term late Cenozoic volcanism in these areas (c.f., Valentine and Perry,
2006; John et al., 2015; Valentine et al., 2017; Cousens et al., 2019).
This map indicates the location of Quaternary volcanic vents or other
associated features indicative of Quaternary volcanism that have been identified
across Nevada. These eruptions range in age from the 2.6-million-year-old (Ma)
trachybasalt of Cedar Hill in the Aurora volcanic field (John et al., 2015) to the
most recent eruption in the state—which occurred at Soda Lake near
Fallon—approximately 5,500 years ago (Rodrigues and Ruprecht, 2023). In
some cases, a volcanic vent is related to a single eruptive episode, while
in other areas, multiple vents were involved.
Suggested citation: dePolo, C.M., Micander, R., and Faulds, J.E., 2026, Quaternary
volcanoes in Nevada: Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Open-File Report 2026-01, scale 1:1,000,000.
© Copyright 2026 The University of Nevada Reno. All Rights Reserved.
Original Product Code: OF2026-01
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