Destell Pass

Last updated
Destell Pass
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 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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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Edziza</span> Stratovolcano in British Columbia, Canada

Mount Edziza, sometimes called Edziza Mountain or Edziza Peak, is a stratovolcano 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. The mountain has an elevation of 2,786 metres, making it the highest volcano of the Mount Edziza volcanic complex. However, it had an elevation of at least 3,396 metres before its original summit was likely destroyed by a violent, climactic eruption in the geologic past; its current flat summit contains an ice-filled, 2-kilometre (1.2-mile) in diameter crater. Mount Edziza contains several lava domes, cinder cones and lava fields on its flanks, as well as an ice cap that is characterized by several outlet glaciers stretching out to lower altitudes. All sides of the mountain 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>

The Spectrum Range, formerly called the Spectrum Mountains and the Rainbow Mountains, is a subrange of the Tahltan Highland in the Stikine Country of northwestern British Columbia, 20 km west of the Stewart-Cassiar Highway, south of Mount Edziza and north of the Arctic Lake Plateau. The Spectrum Range falls within Mount Edziza Provincial Park. The range is lightly glaciated, as compared to the other ranges to the west. It is accessible only by foot or via helicopter; there are no roads to the range.

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

Tennena Cone, alternatively Icebridge Cone, is a small volcanic cone in Cassiar Land District of northwestern British Columbia, Canada. It has an elevation of 2,390 metres and lies on the western flank of Ice Peak, the prominent south peak of Mount Edziza. The cone is almost completely surrounded by glacial ice of Mount Edziza's ice cap which covers an area of around 70 square kilometres. Tennena Cone is 200 metres high, 1,200 metres long and up to 600 metres wide, its symmetrical structure resembling a black pyramid. The cone and the surrounding area lies in Mount Edziza Provincial Park which also includes the Spectrum Range to the south.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Edziza volcanic complex</span> Volcanic complex in British Columbia, Canada

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.

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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Mess Creek, formerly known as Mestua, is a tributary of the Stikine River in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. It flows north and northwest for about 110 km (68 mi), through a lake and a gorge to join the Stikine River, which in turn flows southwest across the Canada–United States border into Alaska where it empties into various straits of the Inside Passage. The northern half of Mess Creek forms a western boundary of Mount Edziza Provincial Park which lies within the traditional territory of the Tahltan people.

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.

Tsecha Creek is a tributary of Kakiddi Creek, which in turn is a tributary of the Klastline River, part of the Stikine River watershed in northwest part of the province of British Columbia, Canada. It flows generally west for about 16 km (9.9 mi) to join Kakiddi Creek about 5 km (3.1 mi) south of Kakiddi Creek's confluence with the Klastline River. Tsecha Creek's watershed covers 23.1 km2 (8.9 sq mi) and its mean annual discharge is estimated at 0.423 m3/s (14.9 cu ft/s). The mouth of Tsecha Creek is located about 44 km (27 mi) east-southeast of Telegraph Creek, about 26 km (16 mi) west of Iskut and about 73 km (45 mi) south-southwest of Dease Lake. Tsecha Creek's watershed's land cover is classified as 47.8% barren, 27.5% conifer forest, 13.1% shrubland, 10.3% snow/glacier, and small amounts of other cover.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tencho Glacier</span> Glacier in British Columbia, Canada

Tencho Glacier is a mountain glacier in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is located inside Mount Edziza Provincial Park on the Tahltan Highland, an upland area of the Stikine Plateau. Tencho Glacier is the source of several small streams that flow from the Mount Edziza volcanic complex.

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 valley, 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.

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.