(c) Copyright 2001 Andrew Alden, licensed to About.com. (fair use policy)
Mount Konocti dominates the Clear Lake region of northern California, just north of the Napa Valley and east of The Geysers. Clear Lake is the largest natural lake within the state's borders, and a resort area better known to residents than to tourists. It is also a recent volcanic center and an early center of mercury mining. Nowadays, vineyards are encroaching into this former orchard district, adding their dizzying influence to the mountain's serene backdrop.
Mount Konocti is an extinct volcano, part of a trend of young volcanic rocks running northward up the central Coast Ranges that ends in the active magma chamber at The Geysers. Exactly what produces these volcanics is a puzzle for California geologists.
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