When Death Valley blew its top

Deep below Death Valley, in the US state of California, blazing hot magma once gushed up from the depths until it hit water trapped underground. The magma turned the water into steam, building up pressure until the Earth's crust blew its top in a ferocious explosion. The hydrovolcanic eruption sent up a mushroom cloud of steam and spewed burnt volcanic cinders for miles. It also left the giant crater seen in this photo and 12 smaller ones spread across the surface.
© Albert Knapp/Alamy