The Volcanic Eruptions of El Malpais Long before the first humans set foot on North America, volcanic eruptions repeatedly rocked the areas around El Malpais National Monument, cracking the ground open and spraying lava upwards. In fact the cycle of eruptions had repeated nearly one hundred times before Native Americans first saw this land. Great outpourings of lava torched the land with intense heat and paved the countryside with hard, black rock. The authors describe the activity of volcanic eruptions of the major craters, lava tubes, cinder cones, and lava flows of the region. The Volcanic Eruptions of El Malpais is a visitor’s guide, a hiking guide, and a geological guide to exploring the major features within the park. Cave entrances, and even cinder cones often remain hidden among forests and tall trees of El Malpais. The sense of surprise that comes from stumbling upon the hidden wonders of El Malpais lends a unique sense of discovery not found in starker, more barren volcanic fields elsewhere in the West. Geology * Southwest * National Parks