Mount Edziza volcanic complex

Mount Edziza volcanic complex
Mount Edziza–Spectrum Range complex
The northern half of the MEVC as seen from the southern end of the Big Raven Plateau. Cocoa and Coffee craters are at left and right centre, respectively. Ice Peak is at upper right centre while Mount Edziza itself is at upper centre.
Highest point
Peak	Mount Edziza[1]
Elevation	2,786 m (9,140 ft)[1]
Coordinates	57°42′55″N 130°38′04″W / 57.71528°N 130.63444°W / 57.71528; -130.63444[3]
Dimensions
Length	65 km (40 mi)[4]
Width	20 km (12 mi)[4]
Area	1,000 km2 (390 sq mi)[1]
Volume	670 km3 (160 cu mi)[5]
Geography
Mount Edziza volcanic complex Location in British Columbia
Country	Canada[6]
Province	British Columbia[6]
District	Cassiar Land District[3]
Protected area	Mount Edziza Provincial Park[7]
Range coordinates	57°30′N 130°36′W / 57.5°N 130.6°W / 57.5; -130.6[2]
Parent range	Tahltan Highland[8]
Topo map	NTS 104G15 Buckley Lake[9] NTS 104G10 Mount Edziza[3] NTS 104G7 Mess Lake[10]
Geology
Formed by	Shield volcanoes, cinder cones, calderas, stratovolcanoes, lava domes, subglacial volcanoes[1][11]
Type of rock	Alkali basalt, hawaiite, trachyte, rhyolite, trachybasalt, tristanite, mugearite, benmoreite[12]
Volcanic region	Northern Cordilleran Province[13]
Last eruption	Unknown[14]

The Mount Edziza volcanic complex (/ədˈzaɪzə/; abbreviated MEVC) is a group of volcanoes and associated lava flows in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. Located on the Tahltan Highland, it is 40 kilometres (25 miles) southeast of Telegraph Creek and 85 kilometres (53 miles) southwest of Dease Lake. The complex encompasses a broad, steep-sided lava plateau that extends over 1,000 square kilometres (390 square miles). Its highest summit is 2,786 metres (9,140 feet) 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 MEVC consists of several types of volcanoes, including stratovolcanoes, shield volcanoes, cinder cones and lava domes. These volcanoes have formed over the last 7.5 million years during five cycles of magmatic activity which spanned four geologic epochs. Volcanic eruptions during these magmatic cycles produced a wide variety of volcanic rocks that comprise 13 geological formations. The most recent eruptions took place in the last 11,000 years but none of them have been precisely dated. Current activity occurs exclusively in the form of hot springs. Future eruptions are likely to impact local streams and cause wildfires.

Several streams surround the MEVC, many of which drain the flanks of the volcanic complex. They include the Little Iskut River along the southeastern flank, Kakiddi Creek along the northeastern flank, the Klastline River along the northern flank and Mess Creek along the western flank. The valleys of these streams contain several species of trees, including white spruce, trembling aspen and lodgepole pine. Animal species such as birds, rodents, bears, sheep, goats, moose and caribou inhabit the area. Warm summers and cold, snowy winters characterize the climate at the MEVC; snow and ice remain on the highest volcanoes year-round.

Indigenous peoples have lived adjacent to the MEVC for thousands of years. Historically, the local Tahltan people used volcanic glass from the MEVC to make tools and weaponry. Intermittent geological work has been carried out at the volcanic complex since at least the 1950s, the most detailed studies having been conducted in the 1960s. A large provincial park dominates the MEVC which can only be accessed by aircraft or by a network of footpaths.