Lava Beds National Monument in the context of "Modoc War"

A lava tube, more rarely called a pyroduct, is a 'roofed conduit through which molten lava travels away from its vent'. If lava in the tube drains out, it will leave an empty cave. Lava tubes are common in low-viscosity volcanic systems. Lava tubes are important as they are able to transport molten lava much further away from the eruptive vent than lava channels. A tube-forming lava flow can emplace on longer distance due to the presence of a solid crust protecting the molten lava from atmospheric cooling. Lava tubes are often considered when preparing hazard maps or managing an eruptive crisis.

Medicine Lake Volcano is a large shield volcano in northeastern California about 30 mi (50 km) northeast of Mount Shasta. The volcano is located in a zone of east–west crustal extension east of the main axis of the Cascade Volcanic Arc and the Cascade Range. The 0.6 mi (1 km) thick shield is 30 mi (50 km) from east to west and 50 mi (80 km) from north to south, and covers more than 800 sq mi (2,200 km). The underlying rock has downwarped by 0.3 mi (0.5 km) under the center of the volcano. The volcano is primarily composed of basalt and basaltic andesite lava flows, and has a 4 by 7 mi (7 by 12 km) caldera at the center.

The Medicine Lake shield rises about 3,900 ft (1,200 m) above the Modoc Plateau to an elevation of 7,795 ft (2,376 m). Lavas from Medicine Lake Volcano are estimated to be at least 140 cu mi (600 km) in volume, making Medicine Lake the largest volcano by volume in the Cascade Range (Newberry Volcano in Oregon has the second largest volume). Lava Beds National Monument lies on the northeast flank of the volcano.