The Spectrum Range, formerly called the Spectrum Mountains and the Rainbow Mountains, is a
subrange of 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 b ...
in the
Stikine Country of northwestern
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, ...
, 20 km west of the
Stewart-Cassiar Highway, south of
Mount Edziza
Mount Edziza is a stratovolcano in the Stikine Country of northwestern British Columbia, Canada. The volcano and the surrounding area are protected within Mount Edziza Provincial Park. It consists of multiple peaks and ridges, with several gla ...
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
A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...
and
Itcha–
Ilgachuz Ranges at the western end of the
Chilcotin Plateau
The Chilcotin Plateau is part of the Fraser Plateau, a major subdivision of the Interior Plateau of British Columbia. The Chilcotin Plateau is physically near-identical with the region of the same name, i.e. "the Chilcotin", which lies between t ...
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
stratovolcanoes that make up the
Mount Edziza volcanic complex
The Mount Edziza volcanic complex is a large and potentially active north-south trending complex volcano in Stikine Country, northwestern British Columbia, Canada, located southeast of the small community of Telegraph Creek. It occupies the sou ...
. A predominantly
lava dome overlies a basal
shield volcano. The range is
Pliocene
The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58[Pleistocene
The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was finally confirmed in ...](_blank)
subglacial and subaerial cones and its northwest and southwest sides contain
Holocene
The Holocene ( ) is the current geological epoch. It began approximately 11,650 cal years Before Present (), after the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene togeth ...
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 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 or un ...
. The youngest feature in the
volcanic complex
A complex volcano, also called a compound volcano or a volcanic complex, is a mixed landform consisting of related volcanic centers and their associated lava flows and pyroclastic rock. They may form due to changes in eruptive habit or in ...
could be
The Ash Pit.
Mountains
*Artifact Ridge
*Kitsu Peak
*Kounugu Mountain
*Kuno Peak
*
Little Iskut
*
Obsidian Ridge Obsidian Ridge is a volcanic mountain ridge in the Spectrum Range of northwestern British Columbia, Canada, located on the south side of Artifact Creek at the southeast end of Mount Edziza Provincial Park. It was named on January 2, 1980 by the G ...
*
Spectrum Dome
*Yagi Ridge
*
Yeda Peak
See also
*
List of volcanoes in Canada
*
List of Northern Cordilleran volcanoes
The geography of northwestern British Columbia and Yukon, Canada is dominated by volcanoes of the Northern Cordilleran Volcanic Province formed due to continental rifting of the North American Plate. It is the most active volcanic region in Can ...
*
List of mountain ranges
This is a list of mountain ranges on Earth and a few other astronomical bodies. First, the highest and longest mountain ranges on Earth are listed, followed by more comprehensive alphabetical lists organized by continent. Ranges in the oceans an ...
*
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 ...
*
Rainbow Range (Chilcotin Plateau)
The Rainbow Range, formerly gazetted as the Rainbow Mountains, is a mountain range in British Columbia, Canada, located northwest of Anahim Lake. Located on the western edge of the Chilcotin Plateau, the range adjoins the Coast Mountains Pacifi ...
(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