Whitney Seismograph Vault - National Parks Gallery

Crater Rim Historic District. The Whitney seismograph vault, adjacent to the Volcano House, is an underground room of reinforced concrete walls, concrete floors, and concrete slab roof. The only indications of the structure visible from outside are the large earth mound used to cover it in 1941 and a free-standing concrete pier. The vault was built in 1912, marking the beginning of a contentious study by American scientists of the earth's volcanic and seismic activity. It underwent substantial alterations in 1941 when the current Volcano House was constructed.