Hell On Earth -- Steam Vents at Bumpass Hell in Lassen Volcanic National Park, California Wood Print

Bumpass Hell is the largest hydrothermal area in Lassen Volcanic National Park. It is the principal area of upflow of steam from the Lassen hydrothermal system. Temperatures of the steam can reach as high as 322°F (161°C.) It was named after Kendal Bumpass, a settler who worked in the area in the 1860s and whose leg was amputated following an accident where he broke through the thin crust over a boiling pot and was severely scalded.

Lassen Volcanic National Park is located in Northern California. Established in 1916, the same year that the National Park Service was created, it was the fifteenth national park and is one of the oldest national parks in the United States. It is best known for it's hydrothermal features such as fumaroles (steam vents,) boiling mudpots, and steaming ground.

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