"Worm Moon" rising
The full "Worm Moon" rises over Ship Rock 03/28/21. Ship Rock is the exposed neck or throat of a long-vanished volcano, which is the solidified feeder pipe of the volcano that erupted over 30 million years ago. At that time lava or molten rock came up from the earth's mantle and was deposited on the surface of the mountain. Evidence suggests that the lava explosively interacted with water and formed what geologists call a diatreme or a carrot-shaped volcanic vent. The United States Geological Survey calls Ship Rock "one of the best known and most spectacular diatremes in the United States." The neck is composed of various kinds of volcanic rocks, some deposited in cracks in the diatreme after it cooled. Erosion later removed the upper layers of the volcano as well as surrounding sedimentary rocks, leaving the erosion-resistant rock mountain behind. Ship Rock's volcanic plug as seen today was deposited between 2,000 and 3,000 feet below the earth's surface.
