The Stikine Plateau is a
plateau
In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ...
in northern
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, for ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
. It lies between 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 pr ...
of the
Coast Mountains
The Coast Mountains (french: La chaîne Côtière) 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 Coast of British Columbi ...
on the west and southwest and the
Cassiar Mountains
, photo = Cassiar Highway.jpg
, photo_size = 280px
, photo_caption = Cassiar Mountains along Stewart-Cassiar Highway near Good Hope Lake
, country = Canada
, subdivision1_type = Provinces
, subdivision1 ...
along its northeast, and between 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 ...
on its south and southeast and the
Jennings and
Nakina River The Nakina River is a river in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, rising southeast of Atlin Lake and flowing generally southeast to its confluence with the Inklin River at the locality of Inklin, where the two rivers combine to form the Taku ...
s on the north.
Sub-plateaus and mountain ranges
The plateau has a number of sub-plateaus:
''Map of the Canadian Cordillera''
ancillary document t
''Landforms of British Columbia'', S. Holland, Bulletin 48, Ministry of Energy, Mines and Resources, BC Govt, 1976
*the Spatsizi Plateau
The Spatsizi Plateau is a plateau in the upper basin of the Stikine River in north-central British Columbia, Canada. Most of the plateau, which is a sub-plateau of the Stikine Plateau, is enshrined in either Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provinci ...
is the southeasternmost and occupies the area between 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 ...
and includes the headwaters of the Stikine River
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 south f ...
and the basin of the Spatsizi River
The Spatsizi River is a tributary of the Stikine River, rising near Mount Gunanoot in the southeastern Spatsizi Plateau, British Columbia.
Etymology
"Spatsizi" is a phrase from the Sekani language meaning "red goat", a reference to the habit of ...
.
*the Tanzilla Plateau
The Tanzilla Plateau is a plateau in the Stikine Country of the Northern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. It is a sub-plateau of the Stikine Plateau and is located east of the Tuya River, north of the Stikine River and surrounding Dease Lake ...
lies north of the Stikine River
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 south f ...
and to the east of the Tuya River
The Tuya River is a major tributary of the Stikine River in northwest part of the province of British Columbia, Canada. From its source at High Tuya Lake in Tuya Mountains Provincial Park just south of Ash Mountain, the highest peak of the ...
and includes the basin of the Tanzilla River and the headwaters of the Dease River
The Dease River flows through northwestern British Columbia, Canada and is a tributary of the Liard River. The river descends from Dease Lake, though its ultimate origin is in the headwaters of Little Dease Creek at Snow Peak, approximately we ...
around Dease Lake and the community of the same name. The upper portion of the Grand Canyon of the Stikine
The Grand Canyon of the Stikine is a stretch of the Stikine River in northern British Columbia, Canada. It has been compared to the Grand Canyon of the Colorado. The canyon is home to a large population of mountain goats and other wildlife. Off ...
, a lava-walled gorge which is cut into the larger Stikine Plateau by that river, begins on the southern edge of this plateau downstream from the community of Telegraph Creek
Telegraph Creek is a small community located off Highway 37 in northern British Columbia at the confluence of the Stikine River and Telegraph Creek. The only permanent settlement on the Stikine River, it is home to approximately 250 members of ...
.
*the Klastline Plateau
The Klastline Plateau is a plateau in the Stikine Region of the Northern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. A subplateau of the Stikine Plateau, it is located between the Stikine River (N), the upper Iskut River (S), Mess Creek (W) and the Kl ...
lies south of the Stikine River
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 south f ...
to the north of the Klappan Range
The Klappan Range is a small subrange of the Skeena Mountains of the Interior Mountains, located between Klappan River and Iskut River in northern British Columbia, Canada.
Mountains
Mountains within the Klappan Range include:
* Todagin Mounta ...
of the Skeena Mountains and includes the headwaters of the Iskut River
The Iskut River, located in the northwest part of the 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 Lake the Iskut River flows south and wes ...
. The communities of Eddontenajon Eddontenajon is an unincorporated settlement in the Stikine Country of the northwestern British Columbia Interior in Canada. It is located along the Stewart-Cassiar Highway on the northeast side of Eddontenajon Lake and comprises a small commerc ...
and 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.
Commun ...
are located on this plateau, which is traversed by BC Highway 37 from north to south.
*the Nahlin Plateau lies west of the Tuya River
The Tuya River is a major tributary of the Stikine River in northwest part of the province of British Columbia, Canada. From its source at High Tuya Lake in Tuya Mountains Provincial Park just south of Ash Mountain, the highest peak of the ...
, north of the Tahltan River
The Tahltan River is a tributary of the Stikine River in northwest part of the province of British Columbia, Canada. It flows generally east and southeast about Length measured using Google Maps path tool, BCGNIS coordinates, topographic maps, an ...
, southwest of the Sheslay River
The Sheslay River is a tributary of the Inklin River in northwest part of the province of British Columbia, Canada.
It joins the Nahlin River to form the Inklin River, one of the main tributaries of the Taku River. The lower Sheslay River marks ...
and southwest of the Nahlin River The Nahlin River is a river in far northwestern British Columbia, Canada, flowing northwest to meet the Sheslay River, forming there the commencement of the Inklin River, the main southeast fork of the Taku.
The main tributaries of the Nahlin Ri ...
; both of the latter are in the basin of the Taku River
The Taku River ( Lingít: ''T'aaḵu Héeni'') is a river running from British Columbia, Canada, to the northwestern coast of North America, at Juneau, Alaska. The river basin spreads across . The Taku is a very productive salmon river and its d ...
, via the Inklin. It includes Heart Peaks
Heart Peaks, originally known as the Heart Mountains, is a mountain massif in the Northern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. It is northwest of the small community of Telegraph Creek and just southwest of Callison Ranch. With a maximum ele ...
and the Level Mountain Range
The Level Mountain Range is a small but prominent mountain range occupying the broad summit of Level Mountain in northern British Columbia, Canada. Located between the Tuya River in the east and the Sheslay River in the west, it represents a high ...
, the latter of which is a cluster of bare volcanic peaks on the broad summit of Level Mountain
Level Mountain is a large volcanic complex in the Northern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. It is located north-northwest of Telegraph Creek and west of Dease Lake on the Nahlin Plateau. With a maximum elevation of , it is the second-h ...
.
*the Kawdy Plateau
The Kawdy Plateau is a plateau in northern British Columbia, Canada, located between the Nahlin and Tuya Rivers. It includes the granitic Atsutla Range and Nazcha Hills and the volcanic Kawdy Mountain.
See also
*List of plateaus in British Co ...
lies to the north of the Nahlin River, to the west of the Tuya River and includes the low but rugged Atsutla Range
The Atsutla Range is a granitic mountain range on the Kawdy Plateau in northern British Columbia, Canada. The Atsutla Range lies south of the Yukon border in between Teslin Lake and the Stewart-Cassiar Highway, roughly north-northeast of Deas ...
, which lies in the angle of the Jennings and Teslin River
The Teslin River is a river in southern Yukon Territory and northwestern British Columbia, Canada, that flows from its source south of Teslin Lake to its confluence with the Yukon River.
During the Klondike Gold Rush of 1896–99, the river b ...
s.
*the Taku Plateau lies to the west of the Nahlin and Kawdy Plateaus and is located roughly in the angle of the Nakina and Inklin Rivers, though including areas on the far side of the lower sections of both rivers.
*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 ...
, which may also be considered to be a part of the Coast Mountains
The Coast Mountains (french: La chaîne Côtière) 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 Coast of British Columbi ...
, is an intermediary area of relatively lower mountains between the Boundary Ranges and the Taku and Nahlin Plateaus, being bounded roughly by the Inklin and Tahltan Rivers on its northeast flank. It also includes a large area south of the Stikine, including the 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 ...
massif and the Spectrum Range
The Spectrum Range, formerly called the Spectrum Mountains and the Rainbow Mountains, is a subrange of the Tahltan Highland in the Stikine Country of northwestern British Columbia, 20 km west of the Stewart-Cassiar Highway, south of Mount ...
. Its southern limit is described by a pass between upper Mess Creek
Mess Creek is a tributary of the Stikine River, southwest of Mount Edziza in Mount Edziza Provincial Park and Recreation Area in northern British Columbia, Canada.
The creek and its tributaries have several hot spring
A hot spring, hydroth ...
and the valley of the Iskut River
The Iskut River, located in the northwest part of the 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 Lake the Iskut River flows south and wes ...
to the south of the Spectrum Range, and it is bounded at its southeastern extremity by the Iskut, across which is the Klappan Range of the Skeena Mountains.
See also
*Interior Mountains
The Interior Mountains or Northern Interior Mountains are the semi-official names for an expansive collection of mountain ranges that comprises much of the northern half of the Canadian province of British Columbia and a large area of southern Y ...
References
{{Plateaus and Highlands of British Columbia , state= expanded
Stikine Country
Cassiar Country