Wells Gray-Clearwater Volcanic Field
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| Wells Gray-Clearwater Volcanic Field | |
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| Elevation | 2,100 metres (6,900 feet) |
| Location | British Columbia, Canada |
| Range | Shuswap Highland/Cariboo Mountains |
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| Type | Volcanic field |
| Age of rock | Pleistocene to Holocene |
| Last eruption | 1500? |
The Wells Gray-Clearwater Volcanic Field is a dormant volcanic field located in south-eastern British Columbia. The field consists of numerous small, basaltic volcanoes and extensive lava flows. It is located within Wells Gray Provincial Park, which also includes the 465 foot-high Helmcken Falls.
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[edit] Geology
The origin of the volcanism is yet unknown but is probably related to crustal thining. Many individual volcanoes in the field have been active for the past 3 million years during which time the region was covered by thick glacial ice at least twice, prior to the well known Fraser Glaciation (also known as the Wisconsin Glaciation). The last eruption in the field was at Kostal Cone about 400 years ago. Some of the lava flows in the field are similar to those that erupted at Volcano Mountain, which is called olivine nephelinite.
[edit] Hazards
The Wells Gray-Clearwater Volcanic Field is one of the top 10 volcanic areas in Canada with recent seismic activity, the others include: Castle Rock, Mount Edziza, Mount Cayley, Hoodoo Mountain, Lava Fork Valley, Crow Lagoon, Mount Silverthrone, Mount Meager and Mount Garibaldi. The field has had a long history of Strombolian eruptions. Since the region is mostly forested and the lava flows are likely to travel long distances from the volcanoes, it is possible that eruptions could start large forest fires, although many more types of eruptions are possible within the field, sush as Whitehorse Bluffs, which was formed by repeated subaqueous explosive eruptions.
[edit] List of volcanoes
The volcanoes within the field include:
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[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Goward, Trevor; Hickson, Cathie (1995). Nature Wells Gray: Volcanoes, Waterfalls, Wildlife, Trails & More. Lone Pine Publishing. ISBN 1-55105-065-X.
- Wood, Charles A.; Jürgen Kienle, eds. (1990). Volcanoes of North America. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-43811-X.
- Mathews, Bill; Monger, Jim (2005). Roadside Geology of Southern British Columbia. Mountain Press Publishing Company. ISBN 0-87842-503-9.
