Thread by @geophysichick

Flew home from #AGU19 today, and OH MY LORD, THE VIEWS. This is why we have window seats!

Be forewarned: a data dump of aerial volcanic goodness follows in this thread.

#AlwaysAWindowSeat #RaiseTheShades

I few out of San Jose, so started with some nice views of the south bay and the Hayward fault.

Then it was north, past Sacramento. Years ago, an friend told me husband to "try not to shoot beer out of your nose when people refer to Sutter Buttes as a volcano".

But I gained a whole new appreciation for it today.

We flew over Mount Lassen, but my photos kinda suck, so we'll just say "yay, Mount Lassen!" and stick with CalVO's info: volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/lass…

Next stop, Medicine Lake--a huge shield of super sticky lava (plus explosive deposits). As with other volcanoes today, the coating of snow enhanced the textures on the obsidian flows.
volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/medi…

There were some other amazing features, but I was particular taken with this cluster--the perfect cone-like thing is Odell Butte and again you can see two silicious lava flows highlighted by snowfall.

Off in the distance is Newberry Caldera. volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/newb…

We're in Central OR now (halfway home!) and in the terrain of the Three Sisters (volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/thre…). Not only are the mountains gorgeous, but check out the levees on that huge lava flow to the north. 😍

Here's a crazy one--Belknap crater, at the top of a big ol' basaltic shield, right next to the highly eroded Mt. Washington. Such a handsome pair! ❤️

The lovely Mt. Jefferson (volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/moun…) is next.

And finally, the last of the OR volcanoes, the glorious Mount Hood (volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/moun…), graced with a bit of cloud cover (and yes, the flight got turbulent at this point).

Sadly, Washington got cloudy. But I'm not easily fooled.

I SEE YOU, MOUNT ST. HELENS). And you too, Mt. Adams (volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/adam…), hiding beneath that lenticular hat.

We were flying pretty far to the east, so I missed a lot of other amazing features--Mt. Shasta, for example, and Crater Lake. But it meant that I could enjoy the features I didn't know and hadn't seen before.

This is why I keep the shades up when flying and always, always sit in the window seat. As I've said before, we're one of only a few generations in human history who have the chance to see views like this. Let's not miss that opportunity.

#AlwaysAWindowSeat #RaiseTheShades