The Spectrum Range, formerly called the Spectrum Mountains and the Rainbow Mountains, is a
subrange of the
Tahltan Highland in the
Stikine Country
The Stikine Country , also referred to as the Stikine District or simply "the Stikine", is one of the historical geographic regions of the Canadian province of British Columbia, located inland from the central Alaska Panhandle and comprising the ...
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.
Geology
Like the
Rainbow and
Itcha–
Ilgachuz Range
The Ilgachuz Range is a name given to an extinct shield volcano in British Columbia, Canada. It is not a mountain range in the normal sense, because it was formed as a single volcano that has been eroded for the past 5 million years. It lies on ...
s at the western end of the
Chilcotin Plateau farther south, the range's name derives from the brilliant colours that are symptomatic from heavy mineralization comprising the material forming the range.
The Spectrum Range is one of four large
stratovolcano
A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a conical volcano built up by many layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with a summit crater and per ...
es that make up the
Mount Edziza volcanic complex. A predominantly
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 on ...
overlies a basal
shield volcano
A shield volcano is a type of volcano named for its low profile, resembling a warrior's 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 v ...
. The range is
Pliocene in age and on its southwestern flank contains
Pleistocene subglacial and subaerial cones and its northwest and southwest sides contain
Holocene pyroclastic cones and
lava flows
Lava is molten or partially molten rock ( magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land o ...
. The youngest feature in the
volcanic complex could be
The Ash Pit
The Ash Pit is an inactive volcanic crater, located in the Spectrum Range in British Columbia, Canada. It is Holocene in age and is considered the youngest feature in the Spectrum Range volcanic complex. It is within the Northern Cordilleran Volc ...
.
Mountains
*Artifact Ridge
*Kitsu Peak
*Kounugu Mountain
*Kuno Peak
*
Little Iskut
*
Obsidian Ridge
*
Spectrum Dome Spectrum Dome is a lava dome in the Spectrum Range of northwestern British Columbia, Canada. It last erupted during the Pliocene epoch.Yeda Peak
Yeda Peak is a volcano and the highest peak of the Spectrum Range in the Boundary Ranges of northwestern British Columbia, Canada, located southwest of Tatogga and south of Kitsu Peak. It is believed Yeda Peak last erupted during the Pliocene ...
See also
*
List of volcanoes in Canada
List of volcanoes in Canada is an incomplete list of volcanoes found in Mainland Canada, in the Canadian islands and in Canadian waters. All but one province, Prince Edward Island, have at least one volcano.
Alberta
British Columbia
Ne ...
*
List of Northern Cordilleran volcanoes
*
List of mountain ranges
*
Volcanism of Canada
*
Volcanism of Western Canada
*
Rainbow Range (Chilcotin Plateau) (aka Rainbow Mountains)
References
*
External links
Canadian Mountain Encyclopedia*
Image:Spectrum Range colours.JPG, Spectrum Range colours from heavy mineralization
{{Interior Mountains
Mount Edziza volcanic complex
Stratovolcanoes of Canada
Lava domes
Pliocene volcanoes
Polygenetic volcanoes
Tahltan Highland
Mountain ranges of British Columbia