2026 Pacific Cell: Mono Basin

2026 FOP Pacific Cell in Mono Basin

Topics: The Mono Basin: lakes, lava, and tectonics, home to:

Climate change and lake level fluctuations!
Some of California’s youngest volcanoes!
Earthquake hazards and distributed faulting!

Leaders: Genna Chiaro, Scott Stine, Lauren Harrison, Marith Reheis, Greg Stock, Jorge Vazquez, Guleed Ali, Sidney Hemming, Bill Hammond, Bartshe Miller, Fred Phillips, Michael Oskin, Zachary Smith!

Where: Brown’s campground, Owens River, California (https://brownscampgrounds.com/owens-river-campground-2/) in the middle of Long Valley Caldera. Campground has already been reserved and payment for the campground will be included in the registration costs.

Dates: Friday, Oct. 2, through mid-day Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. Campground available Oct. 1 after 4 PM. Registration will open in August.

Guidebook contribution deadline: September 1, 2026

Contact: Zachary Smith (zachary_smith at berkeley.edu) or Kim Blisniuk (kimberly.blisniuk at sjsu.edu) for contributions, logistics, or questions

Itinerary Overview

Day 1 – Records of Volcanism and Lake-Level Change at Mono Lake

We’ll kick off the field trip with a deep dive into the spectacular late Pleistocene and Holocene volcanic and lake history of the Mono Basin. Through visits to shoreline sequences, tufa formations, and young volcanic features—including the iconic South Tufa and Panum Crater—we’ll explore the dynamic interplay among volcanism, climate, and changing lake levels. Discussions will highlight exciting new age constraints for Paoha Island and the Mono-Inyo volcanic domes, evolving records of Mono Lake levels, and active conservation efforts shaping the future of the Mono Basin.

In the afternoon, we’ll continue exploring the connections between lake-level change and volcanism at exceptional exposures of the Wilson Creek Formation and Black Point volcano, bringing together evidence for dramatic environmental change across the basin.

Day 2 – Tectonic and Glacial History from Lee Vining to Tioga Pass

Day 2 takes us from active tectonics to the spectacular glacial landscapes of the eastern Sierra Nevada. We’ll begin at offset glacial moraines, where we’ll explore evidence for tectonic deformation from the Pleistocene to the present. Discussions will connect paleoseismic records with modern geodetic observations and seismicity, providing a long-term perspective on active deformation in the region.

In the afternoon, we’ll travel through the dramatic landscapes of Lee Vining Canyon and Tioga Pass to investigate how glaciers carved the eastern Sierra—and how this landscape continues to evolve today. We’ll examine exposure dating of glacial erratics, rates of deglaciation following the Last Glacial Maximum, and evidence for complex shifts in ice-flow direction preserved by cross-cutting glacial striations and exotic erratics at Tioga Pass.

Day 3 – Mono Basin Highstands and Long-Term Lake-Level Change

On our final day, we’ll step farther back in time to explore ancient shorelines marking major Mono Basin lake high stands. These stops will bring together the major themes of the field trip—climate, volcanism, tectonics, and lake-level change—to examine how the Mono Basin has evolved through time and how its remarkable landscape records the interaction of these dynamic Earth processes.

Note: Itinerary subject to change. Final itinerary will be shared prior to the field trip.

2026 Friends of the Pleistocene Pacific Cell Trip Update!

We are looking forward to the 2026 Friends of the Pleistocene Pacific Cell trip! We wanted to share a few items for clarification regarding the campground and registration.

First, we have already reserved the entire Brown’s campground, Owens River, California for our group. Payment for the campground will be included in the registration costs. No need to make reservations on your own. For those of you who have made reservations, Brown’s campground will refund you.