The Kitsu Plateau is a small intermontane plateau in

Cassiar Land District 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 (1858–1866), Colony of British Columb ...

of northwestern

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Canada. It lies on the

Tahltan Highland The Tahltan Highland is an upland area of plateau and relatively lower mountain ranges in British Columbia, Canada, lying east of the Boundary Ranges and south of the Inklin River (the east fork of the Taku River). Its eastern boundary is formed ...

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 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 showcase the Mount Edziza volcanic complex and the surrounding Tahltan Highland. Geography The ...

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. The Kitsu Plateau is volcanic in origin, consisting of lava flows that are

interbedded In geology, interbedding occurs when beds (layers of rock) of a particular lithology lie between or alternate with beds of a different lithology. For example, sedimentary rocks may be interbedded if there were sea level variations in their sedimen ...

with volcanic

ejecta Ejecta (; ) are particles ejected from an area. In volcanology, in particular, the term refers to particles including pyroclastic rock, pyroclastic materials (tephra) that came out of a explosive eruption, volcanic explosion and magma eruption v ...

. These lava flows and the associated ejecta originated from several volcanoes of the

Mount Edziza volcanic complex The Mount Edziza volcanic complex ( ; abbreviated MEVC) is a group of volcanoes and associated lava flows in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. Located on the Tahltan Highland, it is southeast of Telegraph Creek and southwest of Dease Lak ...

which has been the focus of volcanic activity over the last 7.5 million years.

Alkali basalt Alkali basalt or alkali olivine basalt is a dark-colored, porphyritic volcanic rock usually found in oceanic and continental areas associated with volcanic activity, such as oceanic islands, continental rifts and volcanic fields. Alkali basalt i ...

hawaiite Hawaiite is an olivine basalt with a composition between alkali basalt and mugearite. It was first used as a name for some lavas found on the island of Hawaii. It occurs during the later stages of volcanic activity on oceanic islands such as Ha ...

and

trachyte Trachyte () is an extrusive igneous rock composed mostly of alkali feldspar. It is usually light-colored and aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained), with minor amounts of mafic minerals, and is formed by the rapid cooling of lava (or shallow intrus ...

are among some of the

volcanic rock Volcanic rocks (often shortened to volcanics in scientific contexts) are rocks formed from lava erupted from a volcano. Like all rock types, the concept of volcanic rock is artificial, and in nature volcanic rocks grade into hypabyssal and me ...

s comprising the Kitsu Plateau which is subdivided into five

geological formation A geological formation, or simply formation, is a body of rock having a consistent set of physical characteristics (lithology) that distinguishes it from adjacent bodies of rock, and which occupies a particular position in the layers of rock expo ...

s, each being the product of a distinct period of volcanic activity.

Volcanism Volcanism, vulcanism, volcanicity, or volcanic activity is the phenomenon where solids, liquids, gases, and their mixtures erupt to the surface of a solid-surface astronomical body such as a planet or a moon. It is caused by the presence of a he ...

on the plateau continued into the current

Holocene The Holocene () is the current geologic time scale, geological epoch, beginning approximately 11,700 years ago. It follows the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene to ...

epoch and created the

Mess Lake Lava Field 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 Raspber ...

which contains small

volcanic cone Volcanic cones are among the simplest volcanic landforms. They are built by ejecta from a volcanic vent, piling up around the vent in the shape of a cone with a central crater. Volcanic cones are of different types, depending upon the nature and s ...

Geography and geomorphology

Location

The Kitsu Plateau is on the

east of the

Boundary Ranges The Boundary Ranges, also known in the singular and as the Alaska Boundary Range, are the largest and most northerly subrange of the Coast Mountains. They begin at the Nass River, near the southern end of the Alaska Panhandle in the Canadian pro ...

of the

Coast Mountains The Coast Mountains () are a major mountain range in the Pacific Coast Ranges of western North America, extending from southwestern Yukon through the Alaska Panhandle and virtually all of the British Columbia Coast, Coast of British Columbia sout ...

and west of the

Skeena Mountains The Skeena Mountains, also known as the Skeenas, are a subrange of the Interior Mountains of northern British Columbia, Canada, essentially flanking the upper basin of the Skeena River. They lie just inland from the southern end of the Boundary ...

. Between the Boundary Ranges and the Kitsu Plateau is Mess Creek valley, which extends more than to the north where it separates the Zagoddetchino

massif A massif () is a principal mountain mass, such as a compact portion of a mountain range, containing one or more summits (e.g. France's Massif Central). In mountaineering literature, ''massif'' is frequently used to denote the main mass of an ...

from the

Big Raven Plateau 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 ...

in the east. The northern end of the plateau is bounded by Raspberry Pass which contains the east-flowing Bourgeaux Creek in the east and the northwest-flowing Raspberry Creek in the west. Between the Kitsu Plateau and the Skeena Mountains is Artifact Ridge and the Little Iskut River, the latter of which flows north in a north–south trending valley and then flows southeast towards the Skeena Mountains into the

Iskut River The Iskut River, located in the northwest part of the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia, is the largest tributary of the Stikine River, entering it about above its entry into Alaska. From its source at Kluachon Lak ...

. In the southeast, the Kitsu Plateau is surrounded by the

Spectrum Range 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 bord ...

whereas in the south the plateau is separated from

Yagi Ridge Yagi Ridge is a mountain ridge extending northwest from the middle of the Spectrum Range at the southern end of the Mount Edziza volcanic complex in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is bounded on the north by Nagha Glacier and Nagha Cre ...

by Nagha Creek valley. Roughly long and wide, the plateau lies at the southern end of the

, which also includes the Big Raven Plateau to the north as well as the Spectrum Range and the Arctic Lake Plateau to the south. The volcanic complex consists of a group of overlapping

shield volcano A shield volcano is a type of volcano named for its low profile, resembling a shield lying on the ground. It is formed by the eruption of highly fluid (low viscosity) lava, which travels farther and forms thinner flows than the more viscous lava ...

es,

stratovolcano A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a typically conical volcano built up by many alternating layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with ...

es,

lava dome In volcanology, a lava dome is a circular, mound-shaped protrusion resulting from the slow extrusion of viscous lava from a volcano. Dome-building eruptions are common, particularly in convergent plate boundary settings. Around 6% of eruptions ...

s and

cinder cone A cinder cone or scoria cone is a steep, volcanic cone, conical landform of loose pyroclastic rock, pyroclastic fragments, such as volcanic ash, clinkers, or scoria that has been built around a volcanic vent. The pyroclastic fragments are forme ...

s that have formed over the last 7.5 million years. It contains four

central volcano A central volcano is a type of volcano formed by basalts and silica-rich volcanic rocks. They contain very few or no volcanic rocks of intermediate composition, such that they are chemically bimodal volcanism, bimodal. Large silicic eruptions at c ...

es along its north–south trending axis; from north to south they are

Mount Edziza Mount Edziza ( ; ) 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 Ed ...

, Ice Peak, Armadillo Peak and the Spectrum Range.

Drainage

As a part of the Mount Edziza volcanic complex, the Kitsu Plateau is drained entirely by streams within the

Stikine River watershed The Stikine River ( ) is a major river in northern British Columbia (BC), Canada and southeastern Alaska in the United States. It drains a large, remote upland area known as the Stikine Country east of the Coast Mountains. Flowing west and so ...

. The only named stream on the plateau is Kitsu Creek, which originates on the northern flank of Kitsu Peak in the Spectrum Range and flows northwest then north into Mess Creek, a

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

of the Stikine River. Several small unnamed streams flow into Kitsu Creek and the neighbouring valleys of Mess Creek, Raspberry Creek and Nagha Creek; Raspberry Creek drains into Mess Creek whereas Nagha Creek drains into Kitsu Creek just northeast of

Mess Lake The mess (also called a mess deck aboard ships) is a designated area where military personnel socialize, eat and (in some cases) live. The term is also used to indicate the groups of military personnel who belong to separate messes, such as the o ...

Structure

The western, northern and southern edges of the Kitsu Plateau are marked by steep cliffs forming the Mess Creek Escarpment, the southern side of Raspberry Creek valley and the northern side of Nagha Creek valley, respectively. At the Mess Creek Escarpment, the Kitsu Plateau rises more than above Mess Lake in Mess Creek valley; Mess Lake has an elevation below whereas the Mess Creek Escarpment reaches an elevation of more than . The plateau surface is barren of vegetation, but at lower elevations the surrounding valleys contain

white spruce White spruce is a common name for several species of spruce (''Picea'') and may refer to: * '' Picea engelmannii'', native to the Rocky Mountains and Cascade Mountains of the United States and Canada * ''Picea glauca ''Picea glauca'', the whi ...

lodgepole pine ''Pinus contorta'', with the common names lodgepole pine and shore pine, and also known as twisted pine, and contorta pine, is a common tree in western North America. It is common near the ocean shore and in dry montane forests to the subalpin ...

and trembling aspen forests.

Landforms

The Kitsu Plateau is dominated by the Mess Lake Lava Field, which extends from Raspberry Creek in the north to Nagha Creek in the south. It covers an area of around and contains three

pyroclastic cone Volcanic cones are among the simplest volcanic landforms. They are built by ejecta from a volcanic vent, piling up around the vent in the shape of a cone with a central crater. Volcanic cones are of different types, depending upon the nature and s ...

s which were the sources of lava flows that travelled westward towards the Mess Creek Escarpment. The oldest cone, sometimes referred to by the

numeronym A numeronym is a word, usually an abbreviation, composed partially or wholly of numerals. The term can be used to describe several different number-based constructs, but it most commonly refers to a contraction in which all letters between the fir ...

ML-1, is at the northern end of the lava field, whereas the second oldest cone, ML-2, is at the southern end of the lava field. Both cones are covered by

tundra In physical geography, a tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. There are three regions and associated types of tundra: #Arctic, Arctic, Alpine tundra, Alpine, and #Antarctic ...

vegetation and have been slightly rounded by erosion, although their craters are still recognizable. The Ash Pit, sometimes referred to by the numeronym ML-3, is the youngest and southernmost eruptive centre of the Mess Lake Lava Field. It lies on the steep southern slope of the Kitsu Plateau inside Nagha Creek valley and has been described as a pyroclastic cone or a conical

explosion crater An explosion crater is a type of crater formed when material is ejected from the surface of the ground by an explosion at or immediately above or below the surface. A crater is formed by an explosion through the displacement and ejection of mate ...

Geology

Stratigraphy

The Kitsu Plateau is subdivided into at least five

s, each being the product of a distinct period of volcanic activity. These periods of volcanic activity occurred during three magmatic cycles of the Mount Edziza volcanic complex; each cycle began with the effusion of

alkali basalt Alkali basalt or alkali olivine basalt is a dark-colored, porphyritic volcanic rock usually found in oceanic and continental areas associated with volcanic activity, such as oceanic islands, continental rifts and volcanic fields. Alkali basalt i ...

and culminated with the eruption of lesser volumes of

felsic In geology, felsic is a grammatical modifier, modifier describing igneous rocks that are relatively rich in elements that form feldspar and quartz.Marshak, Stephen, 2009, ''Essentials of Geology,'' W. W. Norton & Company, 3rd ed. It is contrasted ...

magma. The two oldest geological formations comprising the Kitsu Plateau are the

Raspberry The raspberry is the edible fruit of several plant species in the genus ''Rubus'' of the Rosaceae, rose family, most of which are in the subgenus ''Rubus#Modern classification, Idaeobatus''. The name also applies to these plants themselves. Ras ...

and

Armadillo Armadillos () are New World placental mammals in the order (biology), order Cingulata. They form part of the superorder Xenarthra, along with the anteaters and sloths. 21 extant species of armadillo have been described, some of which are dis ...

formations, which were deposited by volcanic eruptions during the first magmatic cycle between 7.5 and 6 million years ago. Overlying these two geological formations are the Nido and Spectrum formations, which were deposited between 6 and 3 million years ago during the second magmatic cycle. The fifth oldest geological formation comprising the Kitsu Plateau is the

Big Raven Formation 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 eight older ...

, which was deposited during the fifth magmatic cycle in the last 20,000 years.

Raspberry Formation

The Raspberry Formation is exposed on the lower northern, western and southwestern sides of the Kitsu Plateau. It has an elevation of less than along the Mess Creek Escarpment and consists of flat-lying basaltic lava flows

with

scoria Scoria or cinder is a pyroclastic, highly vesicular, dark-colored volcanic rock formed by ejection from a volcano as a molten blob and cooled in the air to form discrete grains called clasts.Neuendorf, K.K.E., J.P. Mehl, Jr., and J.A. Jackso ...

. More than of Raspberry lava flows are exposed in the Mess Creek Escarpment, most of which were erupted from a shield volcano that formed on a

Late Miocene The Late Miocene (also known as Upper Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene epoch (geology), Epoch made up of two faunal stage, stages. The Tortonian and Messinian stages comprise the Late Miocene sub-epoch, which lasted from 11.63 Ma (million ye ...

erosion surface In geology and geomorphology, an erosion surface is a surface of rock (geology), rock or regolith that was formed by erosion and not by construction (e.g. lava flows, sediment deposition) nor fault (geology), fault displacement. Erosional surfaces ...

. These lava flows travelled westward into the ancestral valley of Mess Creek and originated from vents north of Raspberry Pass which were subsequently buried under younger volcanic deposits. A minimum age for the timing of Raspberry

volcanism Volcanism, vulcanism, volcanicity, or volcanic activity is the phenomenon where solids, liquids, gases, and their mixtures erupt to the surface of a solid-surface astronomical body such as a planet or a moon. It is caused by the presence of a he ...

is 7.4–6.2 million years.

Armadillo Formation

Basaltic lava flows of the 6.3-million-year-old Armadillo Formation are exposed on the northern side of the plateau and along the Mess Creek Escarpment on the western side of the plateau where they overlie basaltic lava flows of the Raspberry Formation. Armadillo basalt flows are interbedded with air-fall

pumice Pumice (), called pumicite in its powdered or dust form, is a volcanic rock that consists of extremely vesicular rough-textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals. It is typically light-colored. Scoria is another vesicula ...

and

ash flow A pyroclastic flow (also known as a pyroclastic density current or a pyroclastic cloud) is a fast-moving current of hot volcanic gas, gas and volcanic matter (collectively known as tephra) that flows along the ground away from a volcano at average ...

s of

trachytic Trachyte () is an extrusive igneous rock composed mostly of alkali feldspar. It is usually light-colored and aphanitic (fine-grained), with minor amounts of mafic minerals, and is formed by the rapid cooling of lava (or shallow intrusions) enri ...

and

comenditic Comendite is a hard, peralkaline igneous rock, a type of light blue grey rhyolite. Phenocrysts are sodic sanidine with minor albite and bipyramidal quartz. Iddings, Joseph Paxson, 1913, ''Igneous rocks: composition, texture and classification'', v ...

compositions. They were highly fluid and mobile at the time of their eruption as evidenced by their extreme persistence and relatively narrow thicknesses; individual basalt flows of this geological formation are less than thick. The source of these flows was probably a cluster of vents further to the north called Sezill Volcano which may have been active prior to the onset of Armadillo volcanism. In contrast, the interbedded air-fall pumice and ash flows probably originated from the more than in diameter Armadillo Peak

caldera A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcanic eruption. An eruption that ejects large volumes of magma over a short period of time can cause significant detriment to the str ...

northeast of the Kitsu Plateau.

Nido Formation

Overlying the Armadillo Formation is the Kounugu Member, which is the only

stratigraphic unit A stratigraphic unit is a volume of rock of identifiable origin and relative age range that is defined by the distinctive and dominant, easily mapped and recognizable petrographic, lithologic or paleontologic features ( facies) that characteriz ...

of the Nido Formation comprising the Kitsu Plateau. It consists of basaltic lava flows, flow

breccia Breccia ( , ; ) is a rock composed of large angular broken fragments of minerals or Rock (geology), rocks cementation (geology), cemented together by a fine-grained matrix (geology), matrix. The word has its origins in the Italian language ...

and

agglutinate In linguistics, agglutination is a morphological process in which words are formed by stringing together morphemes (word parts), each of which corresponds to a single syntactic feature. Languages that use agglutination widely are called agglut ...

which were erupted 4.4 million years ago from at least four eruptive centres; these eruptive centres have since been deeply eroded and buried under younger volcanic deposits. At least some of the Kounugu lava flows comprising the Kitsu Plateau may have originated from Swarm Peak further to the east, which issued lava that travelled westward; remains of the Swarm Peak eruptive centre are in the form of north-trending

fissure A fissure is a long, narrow crack opening along the surface of Earth. The term is derived from the Latin word , which means 'cleft' or 'crack'. Fissures emerge in Earth's crust, on ice sheets and glaciers, and on volcanoes. Ground fissure A ...

swarms. Lava from the Swarm Peak eruptive centre is exposed along the Mess Creek Escarpment where it overlies

till image:Geschiebemergel.JPG, Closeup of glacial till. Note that the larger grains (pebbles and gravel) in the till are completely surrounded by the matrix of finer material (silt and sand), and this characteristic, known as ''matrix support'', is d ...

and glacial-

fluvial A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of its course if it ru ...

gravel derived from the Armadillo Formation.

Spectrum Formation

The Kounugu Member is overlain by the 3.1-million-year-old Spectrum Formation, which is exposed along the Mess Creek Escarpment on the western side of the plateau and at the southern and eastern ends of the plateau. This geological formation largely consists of comendite,

pantellerite Pantellerite is a type of volcanic rock, specifically a peralkaline rhyolite. It has a higher iron and lower aluminium composition than comendite. It is named after Pantelleria, a volcanic island in the Strait of Sicily and the Type locality (geo ...

and pantelleritic trachyte; all three volcanic rocks comprise lava domes, lava flows and minor breccia and ash flow deposits. Spectrum trachyte flows on the Kitsu Plateau are the most distal remnants of the main Spectrum Dome and are relatively thin compared to those forming the adjacent Spectrum Range. These trachyte flows are overlain by alkali basalt of the Kitsu Member, which is mainly exposed at the southern end of the Kitsu Plateau and along the western edge of the plateau. This alkali basalt is in the form of lava flows and likely originated from vents of the Spectrum Dome which have since been destroyed by erosion.

Big Raven Formation

The Big Raven Formation is the youngest and uppermost geological formation comprising the Kitsu Plateau, consisting of hawaiite and alkali basalt in the form of lava flows,

lava bomb A volcanic bomb or lava bomb is a mass of partially molten rock (tephra) larger than 64 mm (2.5 inches) in diameter, formed when a volcano ejects viscosity, viscous fragments of lava during an eruption. Because volcanic bombs cool a ...

s, agglutinate and air-fall

tephra Tephra is fragmental material produced by a Volcano, volcanic eruption regardless of composition, fragment size, or emplacement mechanism. Volcanologists also refer to airborne fragments as pyroclasts. Once clasts have fallen to the ground, ...

. These

s were deposited by eruptions during the

and mainly comprise the Mess Lake Lava Field, one of the three Big Raven lava fields of the Mount Edziza volcanic complex. Alkali basalt flows from the two oldest pyroclastic cones in the Mess Lake Lava Field, ML-1 and ML-2, most likely cascaded over the Mess Creek Escarpment into Mess Creek valley, but no evidence of this phenomenon has been found on or below the escarpment. The Ash Pit, which may be the youngest eruptive centre of the entire Mount Edziza volcanic complex, was the source of a long and wide hawaiitic air-fall tephra deposit that extends to the north-northeast on the Kitsu Plateau. It was also the source of a hawaiitic lava flow that travelled to the northwest through Nagha Creek valley towards Mess Lake. Residual heat from The Ash Pit eruption may have resulted in the formation of the

Mess Lake Hot Springs 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 , through a lake and a gorge to join the Stikine River, which in turn flows southwest acros ...

to the west in Mess Creek valley.

Basement

As a part of the Mount Edziza volcanic complex, the Kitsu Plateau is underlain by the

Stikinia Stikinia, or the Stikine terrane, is a terrane in British Columbia, Canada; the largest of the Canadian Cordillera. It formed as an independent, intraoceanic volcanic arc during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic. Stikinia forms the bedrock of numerous ...

terrane In geology, a terrane (; in full, a tectonostratigraphic terrane) is a crust fragment formed on a tectonic plate (or broken off from it) and accreted or " sutured" to crust lying on another plate. The crustal block or fragment preserves its d ...

. This is a

Paleozoic The Paleozoic ( , , ; or Palaeozoic) Era is the first of three Era (geology), geological eras of the Phanerozoic Eon. Beginning 538.8 million years ago (Ma), it succeeds the Neoproterozoic (the last era of the Proterozoic Eon) and ends 251.9 Ma a ...

and

Mesozoic The Mesozoic Era is the Era (geology), era of Earth's Geologic time scale, geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous Period (geology), Periods. It is characterized by the dominance of archosaurian r ...

suite of volcanic,

sedimentary Sedimentary rocks are types of rock formed by the cementation of sediments—i.e. particles made of minerals (geological detritus) or organic matter (biological detritus)—that have been accumulated or deposited at Earth's surface. Sedime ...

and

metamorphic Metamorphic rocks arise from the transformation of existing rock to new types of rock in a process called metamorphism. The original rock (protolith) is subjected to temperatures greater than and, often, elevated pressure of or more, causi ...

rocks that accreted to the

continental margin A continental margin is the outer edge of continental crust abutting oceanic crust under coastal waters. It is one of the three major zones of the ocean floor, the other two being deep-ocean basins and mid-ocean ridges. The continental marg ...

of North America during the

Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately 143.1 Mya. ...

. The rocks of this terrane are exposed to the south and southwest where they are largely buried under

landslide Landslides, also known as landslips, rockslips or rockslides, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, mudflows, shallow or deep-seated slope failures and debris flows. Landslides ...

and

colluvium Colluvium (also colluvial material or colluvial soil) is a general name for loose, unconsolidated sediments that have been deposited at the base of hillslopes by either rainwash, Sheet erosion , sheetwash, slow continuous downslope creep, or a va ...

deposits, as well as stream gravel,

outwash An outwash plain, also called a sandur (plural: ''sandurs''), sandr or sandar, is a plain formed of glaciofluvial deposits due to meltwater outwash at the terminus of a glacier. As it flows, the glacier grinds the underlying rock surface and c ...

and

braided channel A braided river (also called braided channel or braided stream) consists of a network of river channels separated by small, often temporary, islands called ''braid bars'' or, in British English usage, '' aits'' or ''eyots''. Braided streams te ...

deposits. Minor exposures of

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...

–

Paleocene The Paleocene ( ), or Palaeocene, is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 66 to 56 mya (unit), million years ago (mya). It is the first epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), ...

sedimentary rocks assigned to the Sustut Group are present in the mouth of Nagha Creek valley at the southwestern end of the Kitsu Plateau and are in the form of conglomerates,

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

arkose Arkose () or arkosic sandstone is a detrital sedimentary rock, specifically a type of sandstone containing at least 25% feldspar. Arkosic sand is sand that is similarly rich in feldspar, and thus the potential precursor of arkose. Components ...

siltstone Siltstone, also known as aleurolite, is a clastic sedimentary rock that is composed mostly of silt. It is a form of mudrock with a low clay mineral content, which can be distinguished from shale by its lack of fissility. Although its permeabil ...

shale Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of Clay mineral, clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g., Kaolinite, kaolin, aluminium, Al2Silicon, Si2Oxygen, O5(hydroxide, OH)4) and tiny f ...

s or minor

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

Name and etymology

The name of the plateau became official on January 2, 1980, and was adopted on the

National Topographic System The National Topographic System or NTS is the system used by Natural Resources Canada for providing general purpose topographic maps of the country. NTS maps are available in a variety of scales, the standard being 1:50,000 and 1:250,000 scales. ...

map 104G/10 after being submitted to the

BC Geographical Names The BC Geographical Names (formerly BC Geographical Names Information System or BCGNIS) is a geographic name web service and database for the Canadian province of British Columbia run by the Base Mapping and Geomatic Services Branch of the Integr ...

office by the

Geological Survey of Canada The Geological Survey of Canada (GSC; , CGC) is a Canadian federal government agency responsible for performing geological surveys of the country developing Canada's natural resources and protecting the environment. A branch of the Earth Science ...

. It means in the

Tahltan language Tahltan, Tāłtān, also called Tałtan ẕāke ("Tahltan people language"), dah dẕāhge ("our language") or didene keh ("this people’s way") is a poorly documented and endangered Northern Athabaskan language spoken by 235 of the Tahltan, Tah ...

and was likely chosen due to the plateau's association with Kitsu Creek and Kitsu Peak, whose names were also adopted on January 2, 1980, on the National Topographic System maps 104G/10 and 104G/7, respectively.

Provincial park

The Kitsu Plateau lies at the southern end of

, a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...

founded in 1972 to showcase the volcanic landscape. This remote wilderness area of northwestern British Columbia is not accessible by motorized vehicles to help protect the very sensitive environment. Instead, access is mainly via aircraft or unmaintained hiking trails that cross creeks. Mount Edziza Provincial Park covers , making it one of the largest provincial parks in British Columbia. Hunting, camping, fishing, hiking, wildlife viewing and nature studying are some of the activities available in Mount Edziza Provincial Park. Wildlife in the area includes

moose The moose (: 'moose'; used in North America) or elk (: 'elk' or 'elks'; used in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is the world's tallest, largest and heaviest extant species of deer and the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is also the tal ...

caribou The reindeer or caribou (''Rangifer tarandus'') is a species of deer with circumpolar distribution, native to Arctic, subarctic, tundra, boreal, and mountainous regions of Northern Europe, Siberia, and North America. It is the only represe ...

mountain goat The mountain goat (''Oreamnos americanus''), also known as the Rocky Mountain goat, is a cloven-footed mammal that is endemic to the remote and rugged mountainous areas of western North America. A subalpine to truly alpine species, it is a s ...

stone sheep The Stone's sheep (''Ovis dalli stonei'') or stone sheep is the more southern subspecies of thinhorn sheep, ''Ovis dalli''. Distribution The global population of Stone's sheep is primarily found in Northern British Columbia British Columbi ...

wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, including the dog and dingo, though gr ...

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family (biology), family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats ...

squirrel Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae (), a family that includes small or medium-sized rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrel ...

owl Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...

ptarmigan ''Lagopus'' is a genus of birds in the grouse subfamily commonly known as ptarmigans (). The genus contains four living species with numerous described subspecies, all living in tundra or cold upland areas. Taxonomy and etymology The genus ''L ...

raven A raven is any of several large-bodied passerine bird species in the genus '' Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between crows and ravens; the two names are assigne ...

gyrfalcon The gyrfalcon ( or ) (), also abbreviated as gyr, is a bird of prey from the genus ''Falco'' (falcons and kestrels) and the largest species of the family Falconidae. A high-latitude species, the gyrfalcon breeds on the Arctic coasts and tundra, ...

grouse Grouse are a group of birds from the order (biology), order Galliformes, in the family (biology), family Phasianidae. Grouse are presently assigned to the Tribe (biology), tribe Tetraonini (formerly the subfamily Tetraoninae and the family Tetr ...

and migratory

songbird A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds (Passeriformes). Another name that is sometimes seen as the scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin ''oscen'', "songbird". The Passeriformes contains 5,00 ...

s. The climate is characterized by warm summers and cold, snowy winters; temperatures are warmest in mid-summer during the day when they may hit the range. However, temperatures can drop below freezing during summer nights, making snow or freezing rain a possibility at any time of the year.

Accessibility

From near the Eastman Creek Rest Area south of Kinaskan Lake on the

Stewart–Cassiar Highway The Stewart–Cassiar Highway, also known as the Dease Lake Highway and the Stikine Highway, as well as the Kitimat Highway from Kitimat to Terrace, is the northwestern-most highway in the Canadian province of British Columbia. A scenic route th ...

, the historic

Yukon Telegraph Trail The Yukon Telegraph Trail, also known simply as the Telegraph Trail, is a historic pathway in the Canadian province of British Columbia that extends from the village of Ashcroft, British Columbia, Ashcroft in the south to the community of Atlin, Br ...

extends about west to the Little Iskut River. From there, it enters Mount Edziza Provincial Park and continues another west along Bourgeaux Creek through Raspberry Pass. The telegraph trail then continues to the northwest through Raspberry Creek valley along the northern edge of the Kitsu Plateau for about to Mess Creek valley. Only short segments of the Yukon Telegraph Trail are still passable, having been mostly overgrown since maintenance of the trail ended in 1936. The Kitsu Plateau can be accessed by float plane or helicopter, both of which are available for charter at the communities of

Iskut Iskut is a small, mostly Indigenous community in the Stikine Country of northwestern British Columbia. It is located on Highway 37, at the north end of Eddontenajon Lake just south of Dease Lake and the crossing of the Stikine River. Communi ...

and

Dease Lake Dease Lake is a small community in the Cassiar Country of the Northern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. It is 230 km south of the Yukon border on Stewart–Cassiar Highway (Highway 37) at the south end of the lake of the same na ...

. Private aircraft are prohibited from landing on the Kitsu Plateau lava flows, but Mess Lake is large enough to be used by float-equipped aircraft. Landing on the lake with a private aircraft requires a letter of authorization from the

BC Parks BC Parks is an Government agency, agency of the British Columbia British Columbia Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy that manages all of the, as of 2020, 1,035 List of British C ...

Stikine Senior Park Ranger.

References

Sources

* {{Plateaus and highlands of British Columbia Plateaus of the Mount Edziza volcanic complex Miocene volcanism Pliocene volcanism Holocene volcanism Tahltan place names