Artifact Ridge

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Artifact Ridge
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Artifact Ridge
Location in British Columbia
Highest point
Elevation 2,086 m (6,844 ft) [1]
Coordinates 57°27′54.61″N130°32′50.31″W / 57.4651694°N 130.5473083°W / 57.4651694; -130.5473083 [1]
Geography
Country Canada
Province British Columbia
District Cassiar Land District [2]
Parent range Tahltan Highland [3]
Topo map NTS   104G7 Mess Lake [2]

Artifact Ridge is a mountain ridge extending southeast from the eastern side of the Mount Edziza volcanic complex in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is bounded on the north by Bourgeaux Creek valley, on the south by Artifact Creek valley, on the east by the Little Iskut River valley and on the west by the Kitsu Plateau. [4] The ridge is at the southeastern end of Mount Edziza Provincial Park and gets its name from the knapping of obsidian tools and points by early Tahltan hunters. [2] Destell Pass cuts north–south through the westernmost end of Artifact Ridge. [4]

Contents

Geology

The base of Artifact Ridge is covered with glacial, talus and landslide deposits. The oldest exposed rocks are of Mesozoic or Paleozoic age and are overlain by Miocene alkali basalt flows of the Raspberry Formation. The Raspberry rocks are overlain by quenched, hydrothermally altered and highly fractured Miocene trachybasalt which comprise the lower subaqueous facies of the Little Iskut Formation. Overlying these rocks are Miocene trachybasaltic lava flows and flow breccia comprising the upper subaerial facies of the Little Iskut Formation. [4]

The Little Iskut rocks are overlain by Miocene comendite or trachyte lava flows and domes of the Armadillo Formation which are in turn overlain by Pliocene alkali basalt of the Kounugu Member of the Nido Formation. The youngest and uppermost rocks comprising Artifact Ridge are Pliocene alkali basalt flows of the Kitsu Member of the Spectrum Formation which are interbedded with fluvial gravel and paleosols. [4]

See also

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Artifact Creek is a tributary of Stewbomb Creek and part of the Stikine River watershed in northwest part of the province of British Columbia, Canada. It flows generally southeast for roughly 13 km (8.1 mi) to join Stewbomb Creek, which flows into the Little Iskut River. In turn the Little Iskut River flows to the Iskut River, the largest tributary of the Stikine River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volcanism of the Mount Edziza volcanic complex</span> Volcanic activity of the Mount Edziza volcanic complex, Canada

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edziza Formation</span> Geological formation in British Columbia, Canada

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Yagi Ridge is a mountain ridge extending northwest from the middle of the Spectrum Range at the southern end of the Mount Edziza volcanic complex in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is bounded on the north by Nagha Glacier and Nagha Creek valley, on the south by Yeda Creek on the Arctic Lake Plateau and on the west by Mess Creek valley. Yagi Ridge reaches an elevation of 2,243 metres at the head of Nagha Glacier where its eastern end adjoins to the Spectrum Range just northwest of Yeda Peak.

Sorcery Ridge is a mountain ridge extending east of Tencho Glacier on the southern flank of Mount Edziza in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is bounded on the north and south by valleys containing unnamed streams while to the east and northeast it is bounded by Tennaya Creek valley. Sorcery Ridge is the namesake of Sorcery Creek which flows adjacent to Tennaya Creek from another ridge just to the south.

Idiji Ridge is a mountain ridge extending east of Tencho Glacier on the southern flank of Mount Edziza in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is bounded on the south by a valley containing an unnamed creek, on the east by Tennaya Creek valley and on the north by cirques extending east of Ice Peak. Idiji Ridge takes its name from the adjacent Idiji Glacier; Idiji means "it thunders" in the Tahltan language.

Kitsu Peak is the highest summit of the Spectrum Range at the southern end of the Mount Edziza volcanic complex in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is bounded on the west by Nagha Creek valley, on the northwest by the Kitsu Plateau, on the northeast by Obsidian Ridge, on the east by Stewbomb Creek valley and on the southwest by Nagha Glacier and Yagi Ridge. It has an elevation of 2,430 metres and lies at the northern end of the Spectrum Range.

Kounugu Mountain is a mountain in the Spectrum Range at the southern end of the Mount Edziza volcanic complex in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is southeast of Yeda Peak, west and northwest of the Little Iskut River, south of Stewbomb Creek valley and just north of Little Ball Lake. It has an elevation of 2,267 metres and lies at the southeastern end of the Spectrum Range. The mountain is also at the southeastern end of Mount Edziza Provincial Park which is southeast of the community of Telegraph Creek.

References

  1. 1 2 Elevation and coordinates derived from Google Earth.
  2. 1 2 3 "Artifact Ridge". BC Geographical Names .
  3. "A 502" (Topographic map). Telegraph Creek, Cassiar Land District, British Columbia (3 ed.). 1:250,000. 104 G (in English and French). Department of Energy, Mines and Resources. 1989. Archived from the original on 2021-05-02. Retrieved 2021-09-25.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Souther, J. G. (1988). "1623A" (Geologic map). Geology, Mount Edziza Volcanic Complex, British Columbia. 1:50,000. Cartography by M. Sigouin, Geological Survey of Canada. Energy, Mines and Resources Canada. doi: 10.4095/133498 .