Suddenly, without warning, the ground explodes into a column of escaping steam and pulverized rock shooting thousands of feet into the air and pelting the land for miles around. Many miles below the surface a plume of rising magma has neared an underground pool of water, flashing it to steam. This happened again, and again, at least 13 times in the northern end of Death Valley. Ubehebe crater was created by the most recent of these explosions. Join USGS Geologist Emeritus Dr. James Calzia to learn about this type of crater, the explosion that caused it, and when these events occurred. Dr. Calzia was part of the team that established the currently accepted dates for these craters.