Craters of the Moon

14. Chet Checks Different Flows

The volcanic area now lies dormant, but its eight eruptive periods formed 60 lava flows which traveled as far as 45 miles from their vents. Some of the lava flowed around areas of higher ground, forming isolated islands of vegetation called "kipukas". Today, these kipukas provide a window on the vegetation communities of the past. They contain some of the last pristine vegetation in the Snake River Plain, including 700-year-old juniper trees and relic stands of sagebrush and native bunchgrass.