Lassen Volcanic Center lies in Lassen Volcanic National Park 88 km (55 mi) east of Redding. The park draws over 350,000 visitors each year with its spectacular volcanic landscapes. Within the last 825,000 years, hundreds of explosive eruptions came from vents scattered over 500 km² (approximately 200 mi²). Surrounding Lassen Volcanic Center, over fifty effusive (non-explosive) eruptions have occurred in the last 100,000 years. The area has been relatively quiet for the last 25,000 years with three notable exceptions—the Chaos Crags eruption (1,100 years ago), the eruption of Cinder Cone (1666 A.D.), and the Lassen Peak eruption (A.D. 1914 to 1917). Lassen Volcanic Center hosts a vigorous geothermal system, numerous hot springs, steam vents, and boiling mud pots. Volcanic earthquakes are common, although most are too small to be felt. Ground surveys show localized subsidence of the volcano, probably due to motion on regional faults.

Location: California, Shasta County
Latitude: 40.492° N
Longitude: 121.508° W
Elevation: 3,187 (m) 10,456 (f)
Volcano type: stratovolcano
Composition: andesite, dacite
Most recent eruption: 1917
Nearby towns: Mineral, Viola
Alert Level: Normal (2009-11-18 08:05:08)