Obsidian, Pumice, and a 700 Year old volcano. A Clyde Outside Experiment at Panum Crater

Out here, just north of Mono Lake, the landscape doesn’t just whisper geology, it shouts it from the rim. This is Panum Crater, the youngest volcano in the Mono-Inyo Crater chain, born of rhyolitic fury just 700 years ago.

I camped nearby in the Hondaminium, my faithful Honda Accord turned mobile lab-slash-bedroom-slash-conversation starter. Mornings were cool. Ravens circled. And the ground crunched underfoot with something ancient.

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🥾 Into the Crater

I hiked the rim first, walking the full circle and tracing the edge. Sharp rocks, loose scree, and surreal textures of volcanic glass surrounded me. But the real adventure began when I descended into the heart of the beast, stepping carefully around jagged plugs of solidified lava.

In the center sits the core plug. This is a rhyolite dome frozen in time, the magma that couldn’t quite make it out. Around it: obsidian flakes glistening in the sun, pumice clinking lightly beneath my boots. It was more than scenic. It was a living geology lab.

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🧪 The Obsidian vs. Pumice Hypothesis

That’s when curiosity hit: Could I confirm the identity of the glassy samples I picked up? Were they truly obsidian and pumice?

They looked the part. One was jet black, glassy, and heavy for its size. The other was pale, frothy, light as a whisper. But this is Clyde Outside. I don’t stop at appearances.

So I got scientific.

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📏 Field Science from a Car Camper’s Kitchen

Back at the Hondaminium, I set up an improvised lab: measuring scale, water container, notebook. I weighed both samples, then determined their volume by water displacement. This is simple mass and volume physics.

• Sample A (dark, dense):
  • Weight: 188 grams
  • Displaced Volume: 78 mL
  • Density = 188g ÷ 78mL ≈ 2.41 g/cm³
• Sample B (light, porous):
  • Weight: 27 grams
  • Displaced Volume: 42 mL
  • Density = 27g ÷ 42mL ≈ 0.64 g/cm³

When I compared those values to the known densities of obsidian (≈2.4–2.6 g/cm³) and pumice (≈0.25–0.9 g/cm³), it confirmed my hunch:
Sample A was obsidian. Sample B was pumice.

What began as a sudden turn down an unknow road, turned into an exciting and scientifically rewarding car camping adventure. If there is one thing I have learned and always try to remember, life can throw you a curveball sometimes, but you should always look for the positive because the winds of fortune can change on a whim.

Stay curious Clyde Outsiders! Take the Clyde Outside Panum Crater Quiz below.

Clyde Out…..sideeeee!!!!!