McLeod Hill is a
tuya
A tuya is a flat-topped, steep-sided volcano formed when lava erupts through a thick glacier or ice sheet. They are rare worldwide, being confined to regions which were covered by glaciers and had active volcanism during the same period.
As lava ...
, located north of
Clearwater in the
Wells Gray-Clearwater volcanic field
The Wells Gray-Clearwater volcanic field, also called the Clearwater Cone Group, is a potentially active monogenetic volcanic field in east-central British Columbia, Canada, located approximately north of Kamloops. It is situated in the Carib ...
in
Wells Gray Provincial Park
Wells Gray Provincial Park is a large wilderness park located in east-central British Columbia, Canada. The park protects most of the southern, and highest, regions of the Cariboo Mountains and covers 5,250 square kilometres (524,990 hectares or ...
, east-central
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
, Canada.
McLeod Hill last erupted about 12,000 years ago when the Murtle Plateau was still covered by ice. However, it may also be the oldest volcano in the
Clearwater Valley, dating to about 200,000 years ago when it was the source of the vast quantity of lava that comprises the Murtle Plateau. Viewed from Green Mountain, it looks like a low rounded dome, quite different from nearby
Pyramid Mountain.
[Goward, Trevor and Hickson, Cathie (1995). ''Nature Wells Gray'', 2nd edition. Lone Pine Publishing, Edmonton, AB. .][Neave, Roland (2015). ''Exploring Wells Gray Park'', 6th edition. Wells Gray Tours, Kamloops, BC. .]
The Wells Gray Loppet Trail, a popular cross-country ski route, goes over McLeod Hill. It starts at the
Murtle River
The Murtle River is a river in east-central British Columbia, Canada. It rises from a large unnamed glacier in the Cariboo Mountains at an elevation of and flows southwest for to the head of gigantic Murtle Lake. The river also drains Murtle Lake ...
near
Dawson Falls and ends at Helmcken Falls Lodge, a distance of . The ski trail is tracked by B.C. Parks volunteers during most winters. Beyond the King Hut rest stop, the trail climbs steeply onto McLeod Hill, then there is a long descent into Hemp Creek Valley. In summer, the trail is one of Wells Gray Park's few mountain biking routes.
See also
*
List of volcanoes in Canada
*
Volcanism of Canada
Volcanism, Volcanic activity is a major part of the geology of Canada and is characterized by many types of volcanic landform, including lava flows, volcanic plateaus, lava domes, cinder cones, stratovolcanoes, shield volcanoes, submarine volcano ...
*
Volcanism of Western Canada
Volcanism of Western Canada has produced lava flows, lava plateaus, lava domes, cinder cones, stratovolcanoes, shield volcanoes, greenstone belts, submarine volcanoes, calderas, diatremes and maars, along with examples of more less common v ...
Footnotes
Volcanoes of British Columbia
One-thousanders of British Columbia
Tuyas of Canada
Wells Gray-Clearwater
Pleistocene volcanoes
Monogenetic volcanoes
Kamloops Division Yale Land District
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