Destell Pass

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Destell Pass
Canada British Columbia relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Location in British Columbia
Elevation 1,622 m (5,322 ft)
Location British Columbia, Canada
Range Tahltan Highland
Coordinates 57°28′59″N130°38′06″W / 57.48306°N 130.63500°W / 57.48306; -130.63500
Topo map NTS 104G7 Mess Lake

Destell Pass, sometimes incorrectly spelled Destall Pass, is a mountain pass in the Tahltan Highland of northwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is located southeast of Telegraph Creek and northwest of Artifact Ridge at the southeastern end of Mount Edziza Provincial Park. [1] Destell Pass has an elevation of 1,622 m (5,322 ft) and consists of a narrow rock cleft. [2] Edziza obsidian of the Armadillo Formation occurs at Destell Pass. [3]

Contents

This remote mountain pass in Cassiar Land District provides access between the broad upland valleys of Raspberry Creek and Artifact Creek. [1] [2] Its name means "going to camp" in the Tahltan language, referring to the fact that the pass was once used by the Tahltan to gain access to hunting grounds in the Raspberry and Artifact creek valleys. [2]

See also

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Mount Edziza, known to the local Tahltan people as Tenh Dẕetle, is a volcanic mountain in Cassiar Land District of northwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is located on the Big Raven Plateau of the Tahltan Highland which extends along the western side of the Stikine Plateau. Mount Edziza has an elevation of 2,786 metres, making it the highest point of the Mount Edziza volcanic complex. However, it had an elevation of at least 3,396 metres before its formerly cone-shaped summit was likely destroyed by a violent eruption in the geologic past; its current flat summit contains an ice-filled, 2-kilometre-in diameter (1.2-mile) crater. The mountain contains several lava domes, cinder cones and lava fields on its flanks, as well as an ice cap containing several outlet glaciers which extend to lower altitudes. All sides of Mount Edziza are drained by tributaries of Mess Creek and Kakiddi Creek which are situated within the Stikine River watershed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spectrum Range</span> Mountain range in British Columbia, Canada

The Spectrum Range, formerly gazetted as the Spectrum Mountains and the Rainbow Mountains, is a small mountain range in Cassiar Land District of northwestern British Columbia, Canada. Located at the southern end of the Tahltan Highland, it borders the Skeena Mountains in the east and the Boundary Ranges of the Coast Mountains in the west. The Spectrum Range is surrounded by the Arctic Lake Plateau in the southwest and the Kitsu Plateau in the northwest, both of which contain volcanic features such as cinder cones. It lies at the southern end of the Mount Edziza volcanic complex which includes the two neighbouring plateaus as well as Mount Edziza and the Big Raven Plateau to the north. The mountain range is drained on all sides by streams within the Stikine River watershed and, unlike Mount Edziza to the north, contains relatively small separate glaciers. Mount Edziza Provincial Park is the main protected area surrounding the Spectrum Range.

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The Kitsu Plateau is a small intermontane plateau in Cassiar Land District of northwestern British Columbia, Canada. It lies on the Tahltan Highland and is surrounded by several valleys, including those of Mess Creek, Nagha Creek and Raspberry Creek. The plateau is drained by many small streams that flow into these neighbouring valleys and, unlike the valleys, it is relatively barren of vegetation. Surrounding the Kitsu Plateau is Mount Edziza Provincial Park which is one of the largest provincial parks in British Columbia. Access to this remote plateau is mainly by aircraft since motorized vehicles are prohibited from entering Mount Edziza Provincial Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennena Cone</span> Volcanic cone in British Columbia, Canada

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The Mount Edziza volcanic complex is a group of volcanoes and associated lava flows in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. Located on the Tahltan Highland, it is 40 kilometres southeast of Telegraph Creek and 85 kilometres southwest of Dease Lake. The complex encompasses a broad, steep-sided lava plateau that extends over 1,000 square kilometres. Its highest summit is 2,786 metres in elevation, making the MEVC the highest of four large complexes in an extensive north–south trending volcanic region. It is obscured by an ice cap characterized by several outlet glaciers that stretch out to lower altitudes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mess Creek Escarpment</span> Escarpment in British Columbia, Canada

The Mess Creek Escarpment is a long, discontinuous cliff along Mess Creek in Cassiar Land District of northwestern British Columbia, Canada. It forms the east-central side of Mess Creek valley and consists of two segments separated about 5 kilometres by Walkout Creek valley. The northern segment extends about 8 kilometres southeast along the southwestern side of the Big Raven Plateau while the southern segment extends generally south along the northwestern, western and southwestern edges of the Kitsu Plateau for about 10 kilometres. With an elevation of more than 1,700 metres, the Mess Creek Escarpment rises more than 910 metres above the floor of Mess Creek valley. The escarpment lies within the boundaries of Mount Edziza Provincial Park.

Obsidian Ridge is a volcanic mountain ridge in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, located on the south side of Artifact Creek at the southeast end of Mount Edziza Provincial Park. It was named on January 2, 1980 by the Geological Survey of Canada for its high quality obsidian. Because of its high obsidian content, it was a source for tool making by the local Tahltan people.

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The Little Iskut River is a tributary of the Iskut River in the northwest part of the province of British Columbia, Canada, in Cassiar Land District. From its source at Little Ball Lake in Mount Edziza Provincial Park, the Little Iskut River flows about 45 km (28 mi), generally north to the vicinity of Mowdale Lake, then southeast and south to the Iskut River just below Cascade Falls. The Little Iskut River is part of the Stikine River drainage basin, as the Iskut River is a major tributary of the Stikine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edziza obsidian</span> Naturally formed volcanic glass from Canada

Edziza obsidian is a naturally formed volcanic glass found at the Mount Edziza volcanic complex in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. It occurs in at least four geological formations of the volcanic complex and was widely used by indigenous peoples during the pre-Columbian era. As a result of its widespread use, Edziza obsidian has been found in several archaeological sites throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Raspberry Pass is a mountain pass in the Tahltan Highland of northwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is located southeast of Telegraph Creek between the heads of Raspberry Creek and Bourgeaux Creek in Mount Edziza Provincial Park. Raspberry Pass forms a boundary between the Spectrum Range and the Mount Edziza area, cutting northwesterly through the middle of the Mount Edziza volcanic complex.

Stewbomb Creek is a tributary of the Little Iskut River and part of the Stikine River watershed in northwest part of the province of British Columbia, Canada. It flows generally southeast for roughly 14 km (8.7 mi) to join the Little Iskut River, which flows into the Iskut River, the largest tributary of the Stikine River.

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.

Bourgeaux Creek is a tributary of the Little Iskut River and part of the Stikine River watershed in northwest part of the province of British Columbia, Canada. It flows generally east for roughly 17 km (11 mi) to join the Little Iskut River, a tributary of the Iskut River, which in turn is the largest tributary of the Stikine River. Gerlib Creek joins Bourgeaux Creek about 5 km (3.1 mi) upstream of Bourgeaux's confluence with the Little Iskut River.

Gnu Butte is a butte in Cassiar Land District of northwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is located southeast of Telegraph Creek on the northwestern side of Raspberry Pass. The western and southern sides of the butte are surrounded by Raspberry Creek while the eastern and northern sides of the butte are surrounded by Flyin Creek. Gnu Butte lies on the Tahltan Highland between Mess Lake and Mowdade Lake in Mount Edziza Provincial Park. It bears a resemblance to flat-topped hills in parts of Africa, hence its name.

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. 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. Destell Pass cuts north–south through the westernmost end of Artifact Ridge.

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.

References

  1. 1 2 "Destell Pass". BC Geographical Names . Archived from the original on 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
  2. 1 2 3 Souther, J. G. (1992). The Late Cenozoic Mount Edziza Volcanic Complex, British Columbia. Geological Survey of Canada (Report). Memoir 420. Canada Communication Group. p. 318. doi: 10.4095/133497 . ISBN   0-660-14407-7.
  3. Reiner, Rudy (2015). "Reassessing the role of Mount Edziza obsidian in northwestern North America". Journal of Archaeological Science . 2. Elsevier: 419. doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2015.04.003.