Volcano Mountain
Encyclopedia
Volcano Mountain is an active cinder cone
in central Yukon Territory
, Canada
, located a short distance north of Fort Selkirk, near the confluence of the Pelly
and Yukon River
s. Volcano Mountain is called Nelrúna in the Northern Tutchone
language.
and one of the youngest in the northern section of the Northern Cordilleran Volcanic Province
. The lava at Volcano Mountain is called olivine nephelinite, which is a very uncommon type of lava. This type of lava is believed to have come from much deeper inside the Earth
than the basalt
ic lava. The last eruption from Volcano Mountain produced young nephelinitic lava flows that remain unvegetated and appear to be only a few hundred years old. However, dating of sediments in lake impounded by the lava flows indicated that the youngest flows could not be younger than mid-Holocene and could be early Holocene or older.
and Pelly River
s. Any future activity in this area could disrupt the course of both of these major rivers and could have a serious impact on people living or working downstream.
Cinder cone
According to the , Cinder Cone is the proper name of 1 cinder cone in Canada and 7 cinder cones in the United States:In Canada: Cinder Cone In the United States:...
in central Yukon Territory
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, located a short distance north of Fort Selkirk, near the confluence of the Pelly
Pelly River
The Pelly River is a river in Canada, and is a headstream of the Yukon River. The river originates west of the Mackenzie Mountains and flows 530 km long through the south central Yukon. The Pelly has two main tributaries, the Ross and Macmillan rivers.The river was named by Robert Campbell in...
and Yukon River
Yukon River
The Yukon River is a major watercourse of northwestern North America. The source of the river is located in British Columbia, Canada. The next portion lies in, and gives its name to Yukon Territory. The lower half of the river lies in the U.S. state of Alaska. The river is long and empties into...
s. Volcano Mountain is called Nelrúna in the Northern Tutchone
Northern Tutchone
The Northern Tutchone are a First Nations people living mainly in the central Yukon in Canada. The Northern Tutchone language, originally spoken by the Northern Tutchone people, is a variety of the Tutchone language, part of the Athabaskan language family...
language.
Geology
Volcano Mountain is the youngest volcano in the Fort Selkirk Volcanic FieldFort Selkirk Volcanic Field
The Fort Selkirk volcanic field is a monogenetic volcanic field in the Northern Cordilleran Volcanic Province, Yukon Territory, Canada. It is the northernmost Holocene age volcanic field in Canada, located close to the connection of the Yukon and Pelly rivers. The youngest eruptions within the...
and one of the youngest in the northern section of the Northern Cordilleran Volcanic Province
Northern Cordilleran volcanic province
The Northern Cordilleran Volcanic Province , formerly known as the Stikine Volcanic Belt, is a geologic province defined by the occurrence of Miocene to Holocene volcanoes in the Pacific Northwest of North America...
. The lava at Volcano Mountain is called olivine nephelinite, which is a very uncommon type of lava. This type of lava is believed to have come from much deeper inside the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
than the basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
ic lava. The last eruption from Volcano Mountain produced young nephelinitic lava flows that remain unvegetated and appear to be only a few hundred years old. However, dating of sediments in lake impounded by the lava flows indicated that the youngest flows could not be younger than mid-Holocene and could be early Holocene or older.
Volcanic hazards
Future eruptions from Volcano Mountain would probably be lava flows, since there is a lack of pyroclastic material. The main hazards from Volcano Mountain are forest fires started by the lava flows. Older volcanic deposits south of Volcano Mountain indicate that lava flows may have once partly blocked or at least altered the course of the YukonYukon River
The Yukon River is a major watercourse of northwestern North America. The source of the river is located in British Columbia, Canada. The next portion lies in, and gives its name to Yukon Territory. The lower half of the river lies in the U.S. state of Alaska. The river is long and empties into...
and Pelly River
Pelly River
The Pelly River is a river in Canada, and is a headstream of the Yukon River. The river originates west of the Mackenzie Mountains and flows 530 km long through the south central Yukon. The Pelly has two main tributaries, the Ross and Macmillan rivers.The river was named by Robert Campbell in...
s. Any future activity in this area could disrupt the course of both of these major rivers and could have a serious impact on people living or working downstream.
See also
- List of Northern Cordilleran volcanoes
- List of volcanoes in Canada
- Volcanism in CanadaVolcanism in CanadaVolcanism of Canada has produced lava flows, lava plateaus, lava domes, cinder cones, stratovolcanoes, shield volcanoes, submarine volcanoes, calderas, diatremes, and maars, along with examples of more less common volcanic forms such as tuyas and subglacial mounds...