Twin Buttes (California)
| Twin Buttes | |
|---|---|
Twin Buttes cinder cones | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 5,351 ft (1,631 m) |
| Coordinates | 40°46′50″N 121°35′33″W / 40.7804364°N 121.5924841°W |
| Geography | |
| Location | Shasta County, California, U.S. |
| Parent range | Cascade Range |
| Topo map | USGS Burney Mountain East |
| Geology | |
| Rock age | Late Pleistocene |
| Mountain type | Cinder cones |
| Volcanic arc | Cascade Volcanic Arc |
The Twin Buttes are two volcanic cinder cones located in the Cascade Range in Shasta County, California. They are part of the Bidwell Spring chain and lie within a region that was active in the Quaternary. Formed during the Pleistocene between 25,000 and 15,000 years ago, the volcanoes erupted lava flows that coursed toward the Burney Mountain lava dome. These lava flows cover an area of 3.9 square miles (10.1 km2) and are made of basalt and dacite. The volcanoes also erupted cinder and volcanic ash that reached eastward.
As of 2012, the Twin Buttes were still monitored by the United States Geological Survey for deformation, an indicator of pre-eruptive activity. However, they are considered to have "low to very low" threat potential for future eruptive activity.