The upper McKenzie River catchment is an area of interest for geological research. The first research there took place in 1929, headed by H. T. Stearns. In 1957, H. Williams produced a reconnaissance geological map, which was followed by further mapping by E. M. Taylor in 1965. Taylor's work determined the presence of 9 lava units at Sand Mountain Volcanic Field and another lava unit from Belknap Crater. A map published by Sherrod et al. (2004) built upon Taylor's studies.