Nahta Cone

Last updated
Nahta Cone
Nahta cone from east june 2006.jpg
Nahta Cone from the east
Highest point
Elevation 1,670 m (5,480 ft) [1] [lower-alpha 1]
Coordinates 57°18′29″N130°49′13″W / 57.30806°N 130.82028°W / 57.30806; -130.82028 [2]
Naming
Etymology Seven in the Tahltan language [2]
Geography
Canada British Columbia relief location map.jpg
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Nahta Cone
Location in British Columbia
Country Canada [3]
Province British Columbia [3]
District Cassiar Land District [2]
Protected area Mount Edziza Provincial Park [2]
Parent range Tahltan Highland [3]
Topo map NTS   104G7 Mess Lake [2]
Geology
Mountain type Cinder cone [4]
Type of rock Hawaiite [5]
Last eruption Holocene age [4]
Nahta Cone Location in Mount Edziza Provincial Park

Nahta Cone is a small cinder cone in Cassiar Land District of northwestern British Columbia, Canada. It has an elevation of 1,670 metres (5,480 feet) and lies near the northern edge of the Arctic Lake Plateau, a glacially scored plateau of the Tahltan Highland which in turn extends along the western side of the Stikine Plateau. The cone is about 70 kilometres (43 miles) south-southeast of the community of Telegraph Creek and lies in the southwestern corner of Mount Edziza Provincial Park, one of the largest provincial parks in British Columbia.

Contents

Nahta Cone is part of the Mount Edziza volcanic complex which has been active episodically for the last 7.5 million years. The summit of the cone contains a circular crater breached on the east that was the source of a roughly 3-kilometre-long (1.9-mile) lava flow that travelled northerly and then westerly into the head of Nahta Creek. Ejecta from the volcano extends about 500 metres (1,600 feet) to the west and 700 metres (2,300 feet) to the north. Access to this isolated volcanic cone is limited to float plane or helicopter.

Geography

Nahta Cone is located in Cassiar Land District of northwestern British Columbia, Canada, near the northern edge of the Arctic Lake Plateau. [3] [6] [7] It has an elevation of 1,670 metres (5,480 feet) and rises about 60 metres (200 feet) above the glacially scored surface of the plateau to a circular crater breached on the east. [1] [6] The cone is surrounded by Mess Creek valley to the west, Wetalth Ridge and Little Arctic Lake to the east, Tadekho Hill to the northeast, Exile Hill to the north and Arctic Lake to the south. [3] Between Nahta Cone and Tadekho Hill is Nahta Creek which flows west through a valley into Mess Creek, a northwest-flowing tributary of the Stikine River. [5] [8]

Nahta Cone lies in the southwestern corner of Mount Edziza Provincial Park about 70 kilometres (43 miles) south-southeast of the community of Telegraph Creek. [3] With an area of 266,180 hectares (657,700 acres), Mount Edziza Provincial Park is one of the largest provincial parks in British Columbia and was established in 1972 to preserve the volcanic landscape. [9] [10] It also includes the Spectrum Range to the northeast and Mount Edziza further to the north which are separated by the broad east–west valley of Raspberry Pass. [10] [11] Mount Edziza Provincial Park is in the Tahltan Highland, a southeast-trending upland area extending along the western side of the Stikine Plateau. [3] [12]

Geology

Nahta Cone is the southernmost cinder cone of the Big Raven Formation, the youngest and least voluminous geological formation of the Mount Edziza volcanic complex which has been the focus of episodic volcanism for the last 7.5 million years. [13] [14] [15] It formed on top of a limestone hill that overlies a contact between Early Devonian granitic rocks and Early Carboniferous volcanic rocks of the Stikine Assemblage, the oldest exposed stratified rocks of the Stikinia terrane which accreted to the continental margin of North America during the Jurassic. [16] [17] [18] Five tiny hawaiite conelets consisting of black and brick-red scoria blocks comprise Nahta Cone; the hawaiite contains phenocrysts of olivine and plagioclase. [5] [6] [17] Nahta Cone is somewhat older than The Ash Pit in the Mess Lake Lava Field which may be the youngest cinder cone of the Mount Edziza volcanic complex. [19]

The formation of Nahta Cone was accompanied by the deposition of air-fall tephra and the effusion of a roughly 3-kilometre-long (1.9-mile) lava flow that travelled northerly and then westerly into the head of Nahta Creek. [5] [6] Erosion has unmodified the blocky surface of the Nahta Cone lava flow but Nahta Creek at its distal end has begun to etch a new channel where it displaced the stream. [6] The air-fall tephra is lapilli-sized and is distributed about 500 metres (1,600 feet) west and 700 metres (2,300 feet) north of the cone, suggesting that Nahta Cone was volcanically active at least twice during different wind conditions. [6] [17] A radiocarbon date of 1,340 years was obtained from the lava flow by Canadian volcanologist Jack Souther in 1970. [17]

Name and etymology

Nahta Cone and lava flow from the southeast with the Spectrum Range obscured by clouds in the background Nahta cone from southeast june 2006.jpg
Nahta Cone and lava flow from the southeast with the Spectrum Range obscured by clouds in the background

The name of the cone was adopted 2 January 1980 on the National Topographic System map 104G/7 after being submitted to the BC Geographical Names office by the Geological Survey of Canada. It means seven in the Tahltan language, referring to the last seven survivors of the Wetalth people who were outcasted or exiled from the Tahltans in times past. [2] Several other features on the Arctic Lake Plateau such as Wetalth Ridge, Outcast Hill, Exile Hill and Tadekho Hill also have names with Tahltan roots that were adopted 2 January 1980. [3] [20] [21] [22] [23]

Accessibility

Nahta Cone can be accessed by float plane or helicopter, both of which are available for charter at the communities of Iskut and Dease Lake. [24] Arctic Lake about 7 kilometres (4.3 miles) south of Natha Cone and Little Arctic Lake about 3 kilometres (1.9 miles) east of Nahta Cone are large enough to be used by float-equipped aircraft. [3] [24] Landing on Little Arctic Lake with a private aircraft requires a letter of authorization from the BC Parks Stikine Senior Park Ranger. [10]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ The Global Volcanism Program incorrectly spells Nahta as Nahto. [1]

Related Research Articles

Telegraph Creek is a small community located off Highway 37 in northern British Columbia at the confluence of the Stikine River and Telegraph Creek. The only permanent settlement on the Stikine River, it is home to approximately 250 members of Tahltan First Nation and non-native residents. The town offers basic services, including Anglican and Catholic churches, a general store, a post office, a clinic with several nurses on-call around the clock, two Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers, and a K-9 school. Steep river banks and rocky gorges form the terraced nature of the geography.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Edziza Provincial Park</span> Provincial park in British Columbia

Mount Edziza Provincial Park is a provincial park in Cassiar Land District of northern British Columbia, Canada. It was established on 27 July 1972 to protect the Mount Edziza volcanic complex and the surrounding Tahltan Highland.

<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> 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wetalth Ridge</span> Isolated ridge in Canada

Wetalth Ridge is an isolated ridge in northern British Columbia, Canada, located 74 km (46 mi) southwest of Tatogga and south of Telegraph Creek. It lies on the southwest side of Little Arctic Lake at the southwest corner of Mount Edziza Provincial Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Raven Plateau</span> Plateau in British Columbia, Canada

The Big Raven Plateau is an 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, Kakiddi Creek, Chakima Creek, Walkout Creek and the Klastline River. The plateau is drained by many small streams that flow into these neighbouring valleys and, unlike the valleys, it is relatively barren of vegetation. Stream erosion has resulted in the creation of canyons with intervening ridges on the eastern and western sides of the plateau, resulting in the creation of rugged terrain. The plateau is in Mount Edziza Provincial Park which is one of the largest provincial parks in British Columbia. Access to the Big Raven Plateau is mainly by aircraft or by a network of footpaths from surrounding roads.

<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 are in Mount Edziza Provincial Park which also includes the Spectrum Range to the south.

<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.

The Klastline River is a tributary of the Stikine River in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. It flows generally northwest about 70 km (43 mi) to join the Stikine River, which flows southwest across the Canada–United States border into Alaska where it empties into various straits of the Inside Passage. The Klastline River flows through Mount Edziza Provincial Park which lies within the traditional territory of the Tahltan people. Klastline means "confluence" or "junction of waters" in the Tahltan language.

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

The Big Raven Formation is a stratigraphic unit of Quaternary age in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is the youngest and least voluminous geological formation of the Mount Edziza volcanic complex (MEVC); it overlies at least six older formations of this volcanic complex. The main volcanic rocks of the Big Raven Formation are alkali basalts and hawaiites, although a small volume of trachyte comprises the Sheep Track Member. These rocks were deposited by volcanic eruptions in the last 20,000 years during the latest magmatic cycle of the MEVC. Alkali basalt and hawaiite are in the form of lava flows and small volcanic cones while trachyte of the Sheep Track Member is mainly in the form of volcanic ejecta which covers an area of about 40 square kilometres.

Kakiddi Creek is a tributary of the Klastline River in northwest part of the province of British Columbia, Canada. It flows north about 35 km (22 mi) through two lakes in a broad hummocky lowland to join the Klastline River, which in turn is a tributary of the Stikine River. Kakiddi Creek forms the northeastern boundary of Mount Edziza Provincial Park which lies within the traditional territory of the Tahltan people.

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.

Tadekho Creek is a tributary of Mess Creek and part of the Stikine River watershed in northwest part of the province of British Columbia, Canada. It flows generally northwest for roughly 18 km (11 mi) to join Mess Creek just north of Mess Lake.

More Creek is a tributary of the Iskut River and part of the Stikine River watershed in northwest part of the province of British Columbia, Canada. From its source near Yeda Peak in the Spectrum Range south of Mount Edziza, it flows generally south and east for roughly 65 km (40 mi) to empty into the Iskut River, the largest tributary of the Stikine 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.

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

The Edziza Formation is a stratigraphic unit of Pleistocene age in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. First described in 1984, the Edziza Formation was mapped as one of several geological formations of the Mount Edziza volcanic complex. It overlies at least four other geological formations of this volcanic complex that differ in age and composition. The main volcanic rock comprising the Edziza Formation is trachyte which was deposited by volcanic eruptions at the end of the third magmatic cycle of the Mount Edziza volcanic complex 0.9 million years ago.

Kuno Peak is a mountain peak in the Spectrum Range at the southern end of the Mount Edziza volcanic complex in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is south of Yagi Ridge, west of Yeda Peak, southeast of Outcast Hill, east of Exile Hill, northeast of Tadekho Hill and north of Little Arctic Lake, the latter four of which are on the northern end of the Arctic Lake Plateau. It has an elevation of 2,183 metres and lies at the southwestern end of the Spectrum Range. Tadekho Creek originates from the southern flank of the ridge connecting Kuno Peak with Yeda Peak.

Little Ball Lake is a small lake in Cassiar Land District of northwestern British Columbia, Canada. It lies at the head of the Little Iskut River just south of Kounugu Mountain at the southeastern end of the Spectrum Range in Mount Edziza Provincial Park. The lake contains one island and Ball Creek flows in its vicinity.

Pyramid 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 generally flows east for about 9 km (5.6 mi) to join Kakiddi Creek about 10 km (6.2 mi) south of Kakiddi Creek's confluence with the Klastline River. Pyramid Creek's watershed covers 22.1 km2 (8.5 sq mi) and its mean annual discharge is estimated at 0.358 m3/s (12.6 cu ft/s). The mouth of Pyramid Creek is located about 44 km (27 mi) southeast of Telegraph Creek, about 26 km (16 mi) west-southwest of Iskut and about 73 km (45 mi) southwest of Dease Lake. Pyramid Creek's watershed's land cover is classified as 44.6% conifer forest, 24.1% barren, 16% shrubland, 9.8% snow/glacier, 5.3% herbaceous and small amounts of other cover.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Spectrum Range: Synonyms & Subfeatures". Global Volcanism Program . Smithsonian Institution. Archived from the original on 2022-09-22. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Nahta Cone". BC Geographical Names . Archived from the original on 2021-10-01. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "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 2024-08-27.
  4. 1 2 "Nahta Cone". Catalogue of Canadian volcanoes. Natural Resources Canada. 2009-03-10. Archived from the original on 2010-12-11. Retrieved 2023-01-29.
  5. 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 .
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Souther 1992, p. 235.
  7. ↑ "Cassiar Land District". BC Geographical Names . Archived from the original on 2018-06-27. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  8. ↑ "Mess Creek". BC Geographical Names . Archived from the original on 2021-08-20. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  9. ↑ "Edziza: Photo Gallery". Global Volcanism Program . Smithsonian Institution. Archived from the original on 2021-09-21. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  10. 1 2 3 "Mount Edziza Provincial Park". BC Parks. Archived from the original on 2023-01-23. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
  11. ↑ Souther 1992, p. 104.
  12. ↑ Holland, Stuart S. (1976). Landforms of British Columbia: A Physiographic Outline (PDF) (Report). Government of British Columbia. p. 49. ASIN   B0006EB676. OCLC   601782234. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-11-14.
  13. ↑ Souther 1992, p. 214.
  14. ↑ Edwards, Benjamin Ralph (1997). Field, kinetic, and thermodynamic studies of magmatic assimilation in the Northern Cordilleran Volcanic Province, northwestern British Columbia (PhD thesis). University of British Columbia. pp. 10, 11. ISBN   0-612-25005-9.
  15. ↑ Wood, Charles A.; Kienle, Jürgen (1990). Volcanoes of North America: United States and Canada. Cambridge University Press. p. 124. ISBN   0-521-43811-X.
  16. ↑ Souther 1992, pp. 26, 39.
  17. 1 2 3 4 Logan, J. M.; Drobe, J. R. (1993). Geology and Mineral Occurrences of the Mess Lake Area (104G/7W) (PDF). Geological Fieldwork 1992 (Report). Paper 1993-1. British Columbia Geological Survey. pp. 141, 147. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-03-22. Retrieved 2024-03-03.
  18. ↑ George, S. W. M.; Nelson, J. L.; Alberts, D.; Greig, C. J.; Gehrels, G. E. (2021). "Triassic–Jurassic Accretionary History and Tectonic Origin of Stikinia From U-Pb Geochronology and Lu-Hf Isotope Analysis, British Columbia". Tectonics . 40 (4). American Geophysical Union: 4. doi:10.1029/2020TC006505.
  19. ↑ Souther 1992, pp. 235, 236.
  20. ↑ "Wetalth Ridge". BC Geographical Names . Archived from the original on 2021-10-01. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  21. ↑ "Outcast Hill". BC Geographical Names . Archived from the original on 2022-10-09. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  22. ↑ "Exile Hill". BC Geographical Names . Archived from the original on 2021-10-01. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  23. ↑ "Tadekho Hill". BC Geographical Names . Archived from the original on 2021-10-01. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  24. 1 2 Souther 1992, p. 31.

Sources

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