Lava vs. Water: The Fascinating Geology of Idaho's Menan Buttes 

It was interesting that during the Teton Dam Flood of 1976, all that water that tried to follow the Snake River channel backed up when it got to the Buttes as it sort of tried to follow it's ancient path that went through them rather than around them.

I live 5 miles to the east across the Snake River. I take my grandkids up the R-Mountain, as we call it, at least a couple of times a year. They call the big bowel at the end of the video the “toilet bowel”. I’m a former USGS geologist. Love your videos.

Thank you for explaining that puzzle Professor. Geology is how time writes, and that was a fascinating story to read.

Thank you for exceeding travel videos by adding science! Without typing a wordy explanation, 66 with difficulties… seeing places I would love to or have seen with a science added… is not only entertainment, it is refreshing to my brain, my existence. I can support you beyond saying that, but carry on Prof. Carry on!

Since watching your videos I'm amazed how much volcanic activity is in Southern Idaho. When I was young and traveling through that area I only knew about Craters of the Moon. Back then I was only excited by the road runners. My mother was a lifelong passionate bird watcher. Dad and I learned to pay attention to birds out of self defense.

Thanks Shawn. I learned a lot. At my age, I don't make it out into the field as often as I like. Your virtual field trips fill the gaps and teach me new things. Thank you!

You are providing a great opportunity to learn geology Shawn & that's awesome when universities are not always convenient in the cycle of working life 😢 I just realised that donating Aussies dollars to US is economically embarrassing 😂

Thank you! Very interesting!

Cool stuff, Professor. I am a new fan, I am a Zentnerd. Idaho has so much great geology.

140,000 to 10,000 years ago you replied. So this was happening during the last glacial maximum period? Amazing to imagine what it must have looked like! Thanks for showing us!

Well between your good self , Nick and skye I have been having a great time on virtual field trips to places that I will never see in real life , thanks for sharing and furthering my love of the earth and her machinations! All the best Jules 👍

Love being able to see these great geologic locations

Very enlightening 🎉 Thank you!

The formation of these volcanoes must have been a wild sight to see. Need to remember at 10,000 to 13,000 years ago there was a shallow set of lakes around here. It was colder here for a long period of time. Water from melting glacier activity formed an ancient Snake River system or maybe an early Snake River fork. With much more water just sitting there compared to today and with a great amount of groundwater no doubt, it then met a newly forming volcano with obviously explosive results. This kind of volcano is very rare in North America but I believe both Iceland and Hawaii have had their respective shares of this type of volcano. Thanks for a really great video Shawn.

I always look forward to your taking me to places I might have some familiarity with from the distant past to get a perspective I never had before.

The vegetation up there is varied and lush - I'd like to see your excellent video of a landscape like this unraveling the story of it's making, along with a video by one of your botanical colleagues, going over the same ground but looking at and describing the plants and their relationship to that landscape. And to be triply interesting, a video by one of your other colleagues covering exactly the same ground again, but looking at the wildlife, both big and small, that use it. Perhaps all three edited to be interleaved together - or just one after the other. Same place, different complex perspectives.

This is really interesting! Very fun, I love seeing the places, to get to experience what you've talked about. And cool intro.... 👍🏻👍🏻💞😊

Thanks for doing this one. I grew up and spent most of my first 30 years within sight of the N. Menan Butte, but I never made the hike up to the crater. In fact, I didn't know there was a parking lot and trail... there probably wasn't when I was a kid. I always had a fascination with it when I was little and when I would find a big "lava rock" in the garden, I'd look up at the "Butte Volcano", as we called it, and imagine that rock flying out of it and landing in my back yard, miles away. I really appreciate what you do Shawn, thanks again.

Your students are really lucky to have such a great teacher ! As are all of us subscribers!

I assume that you know this, Shawn, your program is unique in the world. I have searched may times for actual "in the field" geology programs. None, except...for Shawn Willsey! Not only that, your presentation is enthusiastic, curious, pro camera work, excellent lens and camera, and great subject matter. I usually watch through streaming rather than RU-vid site on my mac, so I can't comment to you that way. Onward and Upward, Professor Willsey! your devoted viewers, Larry and Shirley Gaab

Thanks! I appreciate your continued explaining earths geological processes. As a long-term active hiker I'm seeing and appreciating more and more as I slowly continue to recognize and grasp on to remembering more of the many geological features explained in your greatly informative videos .

Thanks Shawn for the tour of your area. I’ve always enjoy history of areas in the U.S., but at this stage of my life, I’m unable to go to these areas except by the internet by people like you. Again, thank you.

Live all your videos, will see if I can get to that site next month when we go to southern Idaho.

Thanks Shawn, this is now on my list.

Really enjoy your videos! Have learned a lot! Thanks!

Thank you for the great geology tour of the Menan Buttes. Looking forward to exploring it for myself soon.

Fascinating. Thank you.

Thank you. Really enjoy your videos!

Right on! This is a great class.

Thanks. Was on top this weekend, family has a home in the area so this was wonderful.

I live on the coast here in oregon but I was born in Sun Valley and grow up in Hailey and Shoshone, and grandad would always take us to Redfish Lake and Alturas Lake on the boat for fishing. This was back when you could still catch the fish that redfish lake is named after, the Red Drum fish. I thank you for your show I have the worst case of homesickness, and unfortunately I'll never make it home again do to injuries received in the service. The hourglass' sand is down to the last few grains, but at least your show has shown me the beauty I remember from the 60s and 70s. Thank You!

Great video and wonderfully explained... Thanks!

Hi Shawn. Great video. I have a black, half oval sort of shape piece of rock that looks like it should be pumice, but it's heavy like granite. In the middle is a quartz crystal. You've just explained how it was made. Thank-you! As to how it came into my possession, I can't recall. But I am in Australia, so hopefully it didn't come from Menan Buttes !

Bumps make water go fast and make rivers. Darn right, I subscribed. Very clear geological explanations

I feel so lucky to have lived in Island Park and currently live in Northern Utah

Excellent video. I live in western Oregon now, but I grew up in southern Idaho, near Idaho Falls. This video shows my old stompin' grounds. I wish I had known more about what I was looking at when I was doing all that stompin'!

Thank you!

Great video. I've added the North Butte to my "Want To Go" list for when I get out there in August.

Thanks for sharing your field trips. We do enjoy learning geology from you.

Love these videos. Thank you.

Phreatomagmatic. I'm going to have to work that word into conversation today.

I enjoy the part about the egg shaped holes that are in the vent and how they are coming out that is very interesting those shapes have always baffled me. 🇺🇸🎆

FANTASTIC Shawn. Love these insights in my back yard! Regards, Richard

Great Video thank you Shawn!

Love your cool videos! Wish there was someone doing something cool like this in Pennsylvania!

As always- great vid

I'd think that even irrespective of the available water around the confluence of the Snake and Henry's Fork, the sheer size of the Snake River Plain aquifer that runs through there would provide ample water for a phreatic eruption at that location.

Thanks Shawn, great video providing more information regarding what happens when magma comes in contact with water. 242 like ...... When temperatures get cooler, I plan to revisit some areas in LMNRA (North Shore Road) that possibly have similar geological issues.

excellent! thanks.

Excellent Presentation!!

Nice video Shawn. Enjoyed watching. Look forward to seeing the next video. :D

Pulsating effect might be from ground water being steamed out and refilling until it again reaches critical volume.

Thank you

Thank you, so interesting

Professor. enjoy your vids. I was inspired to obtain Roadside Geology Of Ohio. TY.

Thanks for your work are stories very interesting

Fascinating stuff!!

Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I'm absorbing best I can.

excellent video thank you shawn

Thank you. Informative. I knew tuff, but I’d never heard of a tuff cone. Your clarity about phreatomagmatic eruptions rounded out my slightly vague understanding. Both the basaltic and quartzite zeoliths (also a new term for me) were fascinating.

If google let me I would give this post two thumbs up!

Your videos are great, I feel like I’m right there with you, so much great information, really appreciate your time and effort to produce these.

An awesome lesson thank you. I definitely learned something new. I never learned about this type of volcano in my volcano class a few years ago.

Thank you again for the interessting video. You are a Good pedagog.

Thanks very interesting and well explained.

Thanks!

It must be fun to see the world through geologist eyes!

Thanks! Phreatomagmatic!!

Just discovered your channel as I'm following the increased EQ activity on Iceland that may be the precursor to another volcanic eruption. I will have to watch some of your backlog!

I love it too! ❤❤❤❤❤

Said it before but you guys are so damned lucky to have all that geology and space open to everyone - not only are we in U.K. limited by every inch of everywhere being owned by someone but a debateable number of Ice Ages rolled over the place eradicating many features and then the weather improved so much that loads of trees covered the place! All we are left with is a few quarries and the coast - unless you live near Wales or Scotland. Look forward to seeing more great country Shawn.

Thanks again, Shawn!! Very interesting! (and great to see more $upport...)

I live in Houghton Michigan in the upper peninsula . There are mountains of basalt here from an ancient rift. The geology here is fascinating.

Really interesting, thanks. I noticed as you climbed that you have got rid of that pesky cough that was bugging you last year.

I had no idea Idaho has volcanoes. I’m learning, Professor. Thank you.

Nick Zenter teaches a lot of this as well. He teaches in Washington State, very interesting! Both of you are so interesting!

You can support my field videos by clicking on the "Thanks" button just above (right of Like button) or by going here: www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=EWUSLG3GBS5W8

Thanks

Thank you for the virtual field trip! I took a year of geology in college and loved it! My prof at BMCC took us on field trips that were out of this world amazing! Your video sparks a question: t. Hood is considered an active volcano. The part of the cone where it likely last erupted faces the Columbia and would be the path of least resistance if it erupted from the cone. While the Columbia is far enough that lava is unlikely to reach the river, what would the scenario be if did do that?

Beautiful basalt buttes, bro. Belching breccia. Behaving bees

Looks like a great place for ham radio too!

Shawn, if you cracked open one of those xenolith bubbles of basalt, what would be on the inside?

West and north of the Menan Buttes are much older lava flows. There are also old flows east of the Henry’s Fork that form the foundation of the Rexburg bench. Perhaps some of the black chunks of lava mixed with the tuff were incorporated in the mix as the new material came up through the older lava flows.

Just came out of Shoshone Lake in Yellowstone and was fascinated by the Geology. Could you do a segment on Shoshone? What really fascinated me was the obsidian sand beaches.

Also, the Teton River merges with the Henry's Fork in the vicinity. Maybe back then all three merged closer together roughly in the Menan Buttes footprint area.

Thanks for right away pinpointing the exact location you are discussing. Many people do not do that leaving you wondering where the location is. And when do you finally get those dreaded braces off, brother?

Just wondering what is the age of the Menan Butte eruptive phase and how has the valley floor elevation changed since then?

The tuff with smooth surface near the summit is attractive. Any thoughts on the erosional mechanism? Wind?

Snakes love it

💯💯💯

Awesome videos. Thanks. What kind of camera and gimbal do you use?

I wonder if uplift prior to the eruption may have temporarily impounded water upstream?

Great video Sir. Maybe I missed it but what timetable did these eruptions happen?

I would like to know about how Lizard Butte outside Marsing was formed and the timeline.

Where did the quartzite originate? The rocks are all volcanic for miles in any direction from Menan Buttes. 17:00

Is the one south east of Carey near craters of the moon, the same thing?

When will the next fissure eruptions happen in the PNW? 1000 yrs plus or minus 999 yrs or so?

My sister lives on the Menan Buttes.

the shape of this volcano looks very similar to Monte Gauro/corvaro and monte Nuovo in the Campi Flegrei Italy.

Thanks! Perhaps a bit difficult, but consider how (if feasible) to superimpose latitude, longitude, altitude, and orientation on the video in a small unobtrusive overlay (particularly orientation) on the video.