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Space Shuttle image of Mono Lake and the Long Valley Area.
The surface of part of the Long Valley caldera has been doming upward gradually for some time. Volcanologists do not believe any material is working its way to the surface. Have a look at Current Activity and Eruptions. Past eruptions at Long Valley caldera were very large. Future eruptions might also be large but the recent flurry of earthquakes is nothing to be concerned about, so far.
Source of Information:
Long Valley
caldera homepage.
Steve Mattox
Why is there volcanic activity there?
The Long Valley Caldera is situated along the east edge of the Sierra Nevada
Mountains and the western edge of the Basin and Range Province. Earthquakes,
extension, and faulting indicate the area is tectonically active. You are
correct that the area is not associated with subduction. The volcanism is
probably related to extension. As the crust thins, the asthenosphere rises
closer to the surface and it may melt, producing magma. The magma probably
rises into the crust where it heats and melts rocks. The melted crustal rocks
are the rhyolite magmas that are erupted during caldera collapse.
Steve Mattox
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