The Lunar Crater volcanic field is part of a larger Pliocene and Pleistocene volcanic zone that extends over the Crater Flat area southward into Death Valley, California; it is known as the Death Valley-Pancake Range basalt zone. This volcanic zone has received attention due to its proximity and relationship to Yucca Mountain, where a nuclear waste repository is planned, although a relationship between Lunar Crater volcanic field and volcanics close to Yucca Mountain is debatable.