The Volcano, also known as Lava Fork volcano, is the name of a cinder cone in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, located immediately north of the British Columbia-Alaska border.

Geology

The Volcano is probably the youngest volcano in Canada. Lava flows traveled south 5 km where they crossed the border into Alaska and dammed the Blue River, a short tributary of the Unuk River flowing from the southeast flank of Mount Lewis Cass (Boundary Peak 47). In doing so it formed several small lakes. The lava flows are approximately 22 km long, and still have the original features and pits formed when the overlying solidified lava collapsed into underlying lava tubes and tree mold. The youngest of these lava flows could be only 150 years old and the oldest eruption is possibly 350 years old. Volcanic activity at The Volcano was reported in 1904, however this eruption is considered uncertain. The Volcano is the southernmost of ten volcanoes in the Iskut volcanic field, which includes volcanoes at Hoodoo Mountain and the Iskut-Unuk River Cones.

The Volcano is one of the top 10 Canadian volcanic areas with recent seismic activity, the others include: Castle Rock, Mount Edziza volcanic complex, Mount Cayley, Hoodoo Mountain, Crow Lagoon, Silverthrone Caldera, Mount Meager, Wells Gray-Clearwater volcanic field and Mount Garibaldi.

Volcanic hazards

Because The Volcano is located in the remote Iskut region and involves passive lava flows, future eruptions at The Volcano pose little threat. Damming of rivers and other local water courses may disrupt fish habitat. Clouds of volcanic ash could threaten lower-flying aircraft along the northern coastal corridor between Vancouver and Alaska. Lava Fork is not being seismically monitored to warn of any future activity.

See also

• Lava Fork
• Iskut-Unuk River Cones
• Northern Cordilleran Volcanic Province
• List of volcanoes in Canada
• List of Northern Cordilleran volcanoes
• Volcanism of Canada
• Volcanism of Western Canada
• Lava Forks Provincial Park

References

1. Catalogue of Canadian volcanoes: Lava Fork Retrieved on 2007-06-13
2. Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program: Iskut-Unuk River Cones Retrieved on 2007-06-13
3. Volcano World: Lava Fork Retrieved on 2007-06-13
4. Alaska Volcano Observatory: Iskut-Unuk River Cones Retrieved on 2007-06-13

External links

• The Volcano in the Canadian Mountain Encyclopedia