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Fun Fact, California route 120,alongside the southern shore of Mono lake, has a 5+ mile stretch of one of the best roller coaster roads in the country. My name is Bicycle Bob and I approved this message.

Thank you for not talking to us who aren't geology specialists, like idiots. Your presentation is pleasant and easy to follow, which creates an interest from people like myself who can gain some knowledge without having to refer to a dictionary every few minutes.

Love that you allow us to learn and journey with you. I’m no longer able to hike so these videos are especially meaningful to me. Thanks.

Gotta tell ya man, I'm not terribly interested in geology beyond a mild curiosity, but you really have a knack for making whatever you're talking about very interesting. Love your enthusiasm for it.

Thank you for allowing me to travel vicariously with you! I've never been to Mono Lake, but maybe some day.

Mono Lake is how Mother Nature puts a "No Swimming" sign on something.

Amazing to see how much your channel has grown Shawn! I started following when you had 3K subscribers. How quickly you've grown to 68K. This is a testiment to your incredible ability to explain complex material to non Geology folks like me. You are a wonderful teacher and provide a valuable service to expand science and knowledge. Keep up the good work!!

Thanks shawn even at my age learning never ends

Mono Lake is one of my favorite places, too. I grew up in Massachusetts, so landscapes like this were like beautiful alien worlds to explore. In my first visit in the late 80s I made a half-hearted attempt to find these fissures, in discouraging hot weather. The Mono Lake Committee visitor center at the time had little to say about Black Point, making it sound like a minor curiosity at best. So, foolishly, in many subsequent visits over the years I never went back to Black Point to look for the fissures. So this video is particularly exciting for me, letting me vicariously explore these features accompanied by an expert guide. On my next visit I know where I’m going to head first! - Scott Mainwaring (Salem, Oregon)

The whole of the Long Valley area is one of the 3 largest calderas on the North American continent. The other 2 are Yellowstone and Valle caldera in New Mexico. The geology of our continent is fascinating. Thanks for presenting a close up view of the layers from this part of the 🌋 caldera. 🙂

What a great video! Wow, nothing like a geology lesson in a 3 meter deep crack in volcanic rock! Thank you for this spectacular field trip. Best “classroom” ever…along with all the other astounding locations you visit, too. 😊 I’m happily going through your other geo videos and the mineral and rock ID videos as well. I hope your channel continues to grow!

Came for Iceland volcano news, stayed for the great instruction!

Thanks Shawn for all these interesting learning videos! Fully enjoy it 😊 Hope there will be videos coming soon about Mount Helen or Andreas Fault Line😉, Thanks Again ☺️

Thank you for taking us along.. amazing video.. so interesting.. you describe a lot..wounderful..

I love Geology, especially of California, Nevada. Always enjoy the knowledge that Geology Professors impart.

I am continually surprised that I recognise deposits and features by name now, all due to your teachings. I'm loving it Professor! Thank you!

Thanks for taking us into the history and cracks of this unusual volcano. Love the insight that you provide into these fascinating geological structures. Many thanks Shawn!

Been up and down 395 from old hwy 15 from San Diego to Eastern Oregon. Such a wonderful drive. Passed by Mono many times. It's a gateway to Yosemite via Tioga Pass. Check out Obsidian Dome just south of there. Owens Valley is full of interesting things. I often thought of how epic it would be to actually see the volcanic history of Eastern California, the Sierra's, Lassen, Shasta, and the entire Cascades live without being harmed. Talk about the visuals? Truly amazing sculpting of this part of the Western United States. I'm now living in the Philippines, and still loving life in the Ring of Fire. Thanks for your videos. 👍

That Water is so Flat and Level . Thank you Shawn . This is very interesting , Liked and Shared :) QC

I have flown over Mono Lake at least 2 dozen times between Columbia CA and Tonopah NV and the only time I had "boots on the ground" was a landing near walker Lake. The sights from above were nothing less than intriguing. Always wondered what I was missing...and now I know. Thank you for a great video Sir!

When I lived in Sacramento, I used to take a long weekend in early October for a YoMoBo tour: Yosemite, Mono Lake, and Bodie. I always managed to find something nice to photograph!

OK, OK, OK, when you were walking through the fissure I actually ducked, that is how realistic your video is. You just took me a little walk in another place that I'll never go, thanks so much!

I’ve been to Mono Lake & if I’d known there was a crack there, I would’ve explored it! Thanks for taking me along on your adventure!

Mono Lake is one of the oldest lakes in North America I'm reading. Over a million years old.

I used to drive by Mono Lake in the 80's - I've always enjoyed it's unique geology. Thanks for your video!

Planning on going to Mammoth this winter and nice to know something about the land I’ll be seeing.

Thank you for your hiking video that explains so much history of the area of Mono Lake. I look forward to more of your videos.

Fascinating, thank you. In the mid-sixties my dad and I made a small wooden skiff, tied it to the roof of our car and drove up to Mono Lake from LA. We rented a cabin not far from the hot spring from a gentleman named Kelly and rowed out to the island. A few miles north of the lake, in the Bishop direction, we found an overlook where the Indians used to make arrowheads, and picked up a number of scraps. Wonderful wildlife as well: rattlesnakes, coyote, a small hawk that made a screeching sound as it dove down to catch insects, seagulls nesting on the islands, migratory wild ducks - a dreamland for nature lovers. I made a few trips there later, as well. So many good memories.... Mark Twain wrote some humorous lines about Mono Lake in 'Roughing It', a book well worth reading.

Thx Prof ✌🏻 happy to see another vid from you.

Every time I drive to Mammoth Mt. I'm mesmerized by the geology of the entire drive starting at the uplifted Sand Canyon to the cut through the San Andreas Fault, Red Rock, and it keeps getting better as you go! Another fantastic video Shawn👏🏻👏🏻

Educational topic, very interesting as well. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with passed experiences!

At the beginning of the video I never would have imagined it to be so AMAZING! I have seen a lot of similar material in the flatter areas of central Mexico: now I am wondering if there were lakes in that area when those volcanos were erupting. Thanks so much.

Thanks, hiked in the area during the 50s and 60s. Beautiful. A good video.

Nifty Video. Thanks for making this. Reminds me when Dad took me camping nearby when I was 14 Yo. You explained most of my questions I asked back then.

I have some big lightweight grey boulders in my yard with calcite banding! I have stacked them to look like a waterfall with the calcite to represent flowing water. When I bought them from a rock yard 20 years ago, they were called Feather Rock and the quarry was located in the Mono Craters. They are no longer commercially available, and I called Feather Rocks and the quarry is closed now due to safety hazards. Thank you for identifying these rocks for me!

Thank you so much for making these videos and sharing your knowledge in a way that can be understood and appreciated by amateurs. I really appreciate your style of teaching.

So grateful for your videos … that was a beautiful time of day and just fascinating to accompany you through the crevasse … thanks for everything you post!

Very interesting example. I have seen quite a few hydromagmatic tuff rings and maars in Iceland, Ethiopia and Mexico, but seldom with such good exposures.

9:30 I was about to ask what they would see if a camera with a light was lowered into the crevice. Thanks for taking us down inside. That was very cool!

Yes I've been watching your Iceland reports also. I've been to Mono Lake so appreciate this detailed report.

I have never been to California but this video wants me to go there. Beautiful scenery, trees, mountains, water, and various types of geological landforms. Retiring in three years so it is time to make a bucket list. Great video professor , it is no wonder that is a favorite place of yours!

Sweet video, imagine how many have walked through those same fissures, probably an escape from the heat of the day for man or animal. Also many pockets in the walls a lot of souvenirs gathered, surely there were gemstones at one point in time. Happy trails!

Beautiful location. Really a great Video! Lot's of Information, great camera work! Wow, Thx!

Oh, that cut is fantastic! So neat to explore and learn. Gorgeous layering. I've been around Mono Lake and loved the formations, but this is completely new to me! I'm grateful you want to teach and share.

Btw, your camera work was fantastic! I didn't get dizzy once! 😂😂

I never knew that Black Point was a volcano! Lived in the vicinity for 50+ years . . . the volcanic field also extends south beyond the Long Valley caldera to around Independence,and don’t forget the Coso area. 😎😘

Hi Shawn, I've been watching a few of your videos for some time now (& belatedly only just subscribed here on YT - sorry for the delay) ... I find your videos instructive, easily understandable (to a non-expert!) and most enjoyable. I'm just an old (70yrs) English woman who is disabled and virtually house-bound, but who has had an interest in geology since I was a child - reading an encyclopaedia which showed a diagram of the various different "layers" of the Earth with its fossils and different strata etc... (I loved my old encyclopaedias!!) In school, I focussed on palaeontology and wrote 'reams of essays' on the subject, only returning to geology as an interest when my youngest daughter started studying it at school. Then, once I had internet access, KZfaq became more than just a way to pass the time, when I 'discovered' to my delight, videos I'd seen aired on British terrestrial tv by Scottish geologist, Prof.Iain Stewart...then more recently, Nick Zentner...then your good self. 😊 "Happy Days" - as much geology as I could find to watch, and continue (hopefully) to _learn_ from, right here on my Tablet!! So, please accept my thanks for your sharing your geological knowledge with us. Long may you continue. (Sorry though, I am unable to contribute financially due to the fact I have no bank account - neither does my daughter/carer - so I've no money other than (British) cash.😟😢 ... 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧❤️🖖

Thanks for the Geology course ❤

Very interesting and you explain it so well. Thank You 🙏

Oh how I want to be 18 again so I could have Professor Willsey as my geology professor.

Thank you for the close up observation of the rock layers and the clasts they contain. It's a treat for someone who can no longer get out to explore such things on her own anymore. Going right down into that fracture in the volcano was fascinating and a little claustrophobic. Thanks again for sharing.

Always learning, I enjoyed the video

Great field walk! At low light the ancient wave benches are most noticeable along US 395 , Black Point and also to the far eastern basin margin. Be great to hear a talk on Pahoa Island, the lake bed uplift dating and fumaroles on the island. Many thanks!!!

I was surprised to see granite chunks in California. I grew up in a Massachusetts town which gave its name to granite from local quarries. There was a glacial erratic in my backyard. The neighbor next door, who was a year older, showed me the tiny pieces of garnet embedded in it. Jewels in my backyard!

I've never been to Mono lake but had heard about some of its unique features. Your video makes me want to go there even more now!

Extremely cool! Until this video, I didn't know there was a volcano at Mono Lake. Visited the lake in 1988 and had a small mishap...my shoes are still a couple feet down in the mud somewhere.

super awesome! thank you for sharing! I felt like I was there with you!

Great video - very interesting. I couldn't help thinking, "I hope he doesn't go out there alone!"

Only recently have I stopped visiting this magical mysterious area at least once a year however I have never known of this feature at Black Point. Thought I knew it all intimately so I am thoroughly surprised that I missed something of this magnitude altogether. Thank You for enlightening me on this, wish I could have brought my friends exploring with me there back when we used to comb the areas from Bishop to Bridgeport. An absolutely other-worldly geographical anomaly overflowing with amazing & unique artifacts. Thanks so much for this -

I spent many summers hiking and fishing somewhere between Bishop and Bridgeport. Mono Lake and the Mono Craters were always just there. I would have enjoyed exploring the area you highlight in this cool video. The entire Mono Lake region was full of pumice, from pebbles to boulders that we always loved picking up. Thanks a bunch!!! ❤

Starting at the 9:45 mark, when he goes down INTO that "Fissure", that was pretty cool! It's almost like BEING there!

What a fabulous episode. I've all over the south end of the lake but have never explored the north side. Now I'm planning to visit again.

Looks like a fantastic place to camp.

Yikes 😱 Appreciate the update thanks Shawn…. So much Volcanic activity nowadays around the world

i gotta say i wish you were my professor i love this channel so much

This was fascinating, thank you!

Beautiful place geological wonderland thank you

That was amazing! I had no idea places like that existed. Thanks for enlarging my world.

It's beautiful and appears so peaceful. Wow, the rock formations! The tan rock that you approached at the beginning of this video actually looks like it was poured there, layers of pouring, for lack of a better term for it.

Excellent! Thank you for exploring and teaching us along the way!

Thank you 🙏 I love you educational channel I’m intrigued with geologic history I learned a lot watching your channel .

Went down another rabbit hole, too. Wondering how a pre-historic lake got a name. Learned about Israel Russell who studied the area and had the ancient lake named in his honor-as well as several other geological features. Great way to spend a cold day in Maryland while recovering from a cold.

Enjoyed your hike.

Thanks! Dad & I drove the hwy you can see a Big Rig on it near the end of the video. Nice job Shawn. I am eager to view more of the vids.👀

Thank you Shawn

I subscribed awhile ago & have been following ever since. I've been very interested in your scientific approach of what's been going on in Iceland. But this is my favorite episode of all. What a great sharing of a beautiful location. I especially loved the walk thru the fissure & explaining the layering & identifying the different rocks in those layers. Thank-you for not just taking me on great hike but teaching me stuff too!🤓

I've always enjoyed that area. Thanks for the tour. It's been too long since my last visit.

Thanks for sharing! Fun to watch! 😊

Thank you!❤

What a great place!

What a cool video! I had no idea those cracks were there, definitely on the list to check out and thanks for the tour.

Thanks Shawn! The Eastern Sierra are so new and rugged... hot springs everywhere! Lee Vining is also the Gateway to Yosemite when Tioga Pass is open.

I drove by Mono Lake once and stopped briefly to look but never knew about Black Point. If I had I would have wanted to walk through that fissure. So cool. Thank you for showing us. And yes, what a beautiful morning that was. It felt like I was walking there. I live in California and have been a few interesting places like Red Rock canyon and Death Valley. I'll check to see if you have videos of those places or maybe you will in future?

We spent a week exploring that area a few years ago. (There's a nice campground in Lee Vining.) There's also Panum Crater near the south end of the lake that you can hike through. It's composed of obsidian. Also a few miles south is Obsidian Mountain. Of course Lee Vining is the east entrance to Yosemite on HWY 120. Lots of fascinating geology along 395! June Lake Loop is amazing too!

Thank you for the video! While you're back there, check out the Mt. Morrison roof pendant down by Convict Lake. Would love to see a video on that. Thanks again!

Thank you for this fascinating video..

have only walked that place on google earth :)) thanks for bringing it all to live, facinating when living in Very flat Denmark hehe

Amazing landscapes and terrain. I bet RC crawler fans and drone pilots love those fissures.

Fascinating. I learned something new about that area. Maybe check that out next summer. So much to see along 395.

Very cool! Ive walked through this same fissure system but didn't know much about this volcano other than it being in the chain with mono/inyo craters. I've taken a group out to Mammoth Lakes camping every year for the past 15+ years since I was a student in my field geology class near Bishop. There's always something new and fascinating to learn about this area!

Evidence of geology is always cool to find

Interesting sculpturing!

I love this video and had no idea Mono Lake had these slot-like fissures. How neat! I love all the layers you can see from the phreatomagmatic eruptions!

Another awesome video. My brothers talked about going there but I was very young at the time. I recognized the interaction with lava immediately from your video about tuyas.

To me the slot canyon looks like the magma below the lake was simmering the aggregate bottom of it, like a pancake forming bubbles. There are a lot of voids (bubbles) and probably while the material was cooling, the was still water, so the layers stayed well formed. It was an interesting walk so thanks for taking us!

The closing scene shows an old shore line in the background, too. Much like the benches of Salt Lake.

This was great Shawn. //ji

Palagonite. My new word for the day. Thank you for this presentation. How fascinating to be walking on these fractures.

Will definitely need to check this out next time I'm in the Eastern Sierras. Thanks for posting!