South Fork cinder cone (center) is seen from the NW with Ramshaw Meadow (upper left) behind it. Templeton Mountain is the rounded peak beyond South Fork cone, and Olancha Peak on the crest of the Sierra Nevada is on the center horizon. South Fork (Red Hill) cone was formed about 176,000 years ago and produced a lava flow 10 km to the west that may have reached as far as the Kern River. The cinder cone was erupted through a bedrock ridge of the Sierra Nevada, and inclusions of quartz monzonite are common near the vents.

Photo by Rick Howard, 2002 (courtesy of Del Hubbs, U S Forest Service).

This image is made available under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 license terms.

Golden Trout Creek