Big Kettle Fumarole

Last updated
Big Kettle Fumarole
Location British Columbia, Canada
Coordinates 56°12′30″N126°37′10″W / 56.20833°N 126.61944°W / 56.20833; -126.61944 Coordinates: 56°12′30″N126°37′10″W / 56.20833°N 126.61944°W / 56.20833; -126.61944
Elevation 1,088 m (3,570 ft)

The Big Kettle Fumarole is a low temperature gas vent at the junction of Humar Creek and Omineca River in Cassiar Land District of northern British Columbia, Canada. It contains a 4.6 m (15 ft) high and 1.8 m (5.9 ft) diameter tufa cone with a 1.5 m (4.9 ft) deep kettle-like depression. This cone represents the remains of a former cold spring. [1]

Fumarole opening in or near a volcano, through which hot sulphurous gases emerge

A fumarole is an opening in a planet's crust which emits steam and gases such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen chloride, and hydrogen sulfide. The steam forms when superheated water condenses as its pressure drops when it emerges from the ground. The name solfatara is given to fumaroles that emit sulfurous gases.

Omineca River river in Canada

Omineca River is a river in northern British Columbia, Canada. It flows into the Williston Lake, and is part of the Peace River basin. It was originally a tributary of the Finlay River before the creation of Lake Williston.

The Cassiar Land District is a cadastral survey subdivision of the province of British Columbia, Canada, created with rest of those on Mainland British Columbia via the Lands Act of the Colony of British Columbia in 1860. The British Columbia government's BC Names system, a subdivision of GeoBC, defines a land district as "a territorial division with legally defined boundaries for administrative purposes" All land titles and surveys use the Land District system as the primary point of reference, and entries in BC Names for placenames and geographical objects are so listed.

The Big Kettle outgasses carbon dioxide from its kettle-like depression. British Columbia Land Surveyors (BCLS) member Frank Swannell visited the fumarole in 1913 and noted that several dead birds and small animals were present. Swannell speculated that they were killed by an intermittent issue of sulfurous gas. [1]

Outgassing is the release of a gas that was dissolved, trapped, frozen or absorbed in some material. Outgassing can include sublimation and evaporation, as well as desorption, seepage from cracks or internal volumes, and gaseous products of slow chemical reactions. Boiling is generally thought of as a separate phenomenon from outgassing because it consists of a phase transition of a liquid into a vapor of the same substance.

Carbon dioxide chemical compound

Carbon dioxide (chemical formula CO2) is a colorless gas with a density about 60% higher than that of dry air. Carbon dioxide consists of a carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It occurs naturally in Earth's atmosphere as a trace gas. The current concentration is about 0.04% (410 ppm) by volume, having risen from pre-industrial levels of 280 ppm. Natural sources include volcanoes, hot springs and geysers, and it is freed from carbonate rocks by dissolution in water and acids. Because carbon dioxide is soluble in water, it occurs naturally in groundwater, rivers and lakes, ice caps, glaciers and seawater. It is present in deposits of petroleum and natural gas. Carbon dioxide is odorless at normally encountered concentrations. However, at high concentrations, it has a sharp and acidic odor.

Frank Swannell Canadian surveyor

Frank Cyril Swannell was one of British Columbia's most famous surveyors.

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References

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