Crater Rings are adjacent, symmetrical volcanic

pit crater A pit crater (also called a subsidence crater or collapse crater) is a depression formed by a sinking or collapse of the surface lying above a void or empty chamber, rather than by the eruption of a volcano or lava vent. Pit craters are found ...

s in the Western

Snake River Plain image:Snake River view near Twin Falls, Idaho.jpg, The Snake River cutting through the plain leaves many canyons and Canyon#List of gorges, gorges, such as this one near Twin Falls, Idaho The Snake River Plain is a geology, geologic feature ...

about eight miles northwest of

Mountain Home, Idaho Mountain Home is the largest city and county seat of Elmore County, Idaho, United States. The population was 15,979 in the 2020 census. Mountain Home is the principal city of the Mountain Home, Idaho Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes ...

. They are one of few examples of

volcanic craters A volcanic crater is an approximately circular depression in the ground caused by volcanic activity. It is typically a bowl-shaped feature containing one or more vents. During volcanic eruptions, molten magma and volcanic gases rise from an unde ...

in the continental United States. The craters are at the summit of a broad

shield volcano A shield volcano is a type of volcano named for its low profile, resembling a warrior's shield lying on the ground. It is formed by the eruption of highly fluid (low viscosity) lava, which travels farther and forms thinner flows than the more v ...

. The eastern crater is about 3000 ft across and 350 ft deep. The western is 2500 ft across and 300 ft deep. The craters are probably former

lava lake Lava lakes are large volumes of molten lava, usually basaltic, contained in a volcanic vent, crater, or broad depression. The term is used to describe both lava lakes that are wholly or partly molten and those that are solidified (someti ...

s similar to

Halemaʻumaʻu Halemaumau (''six syllables: HAH-lay-MAH-oo-MAH-oo'') is a pit crater within the much larger Kīlauea Caldera at the summit of Kīlauea volcano on island of Hawaiʻi. The roughly circular crater was x before collapses that roughly doubled ...

of the

Kīlauea Kīlauea ( , ) is an active shield volcano in the Hawaiian Islands. Located along the southeastern shore of the Big Island of Hawaii, the volcano is between 210,000 and 280,000 years old and emerged above sea level about 100,000 years ago. Hi ...

volcano of

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

. The volcano is the youngest of the shield volcanoes near Mountain Home and is estimated to be less than two million years old. Crater Rings are a

National Natural Landmark The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only national natural areas program that identifies and recognizes the best ...

designated in 1980. The site is owned by the

Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands. Headquartered in Washington DC, and with oversight over , it governs one eighth of the country's la ...

as part of the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area.

References

External links

* Surface Mapping of Mars and Related Geologic Studies, King, 1974, p.

* Geonote 41 National Natural Landmarks of Idaho, Gibbon

{{authority control National Natural Landmarks in Idaho Protected areas of Elmore County, Idaho Landforms of Elmore County, Idaho Volcanic craters Bureau of Land Management areas in Idaho Volcanoes of Idaho Shield volcanoes of the United States