Tseax River Cones
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| Tseax River Cones | |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 600 metres (1,850 feet) |
| Location | Stikine Volcanic Belt, British Columbia, Canada |
| Range | Pacific Coast Ranges |
| Coordinates | |
| Type | Pyroclastic cones |
| Age of rock | Pleistocene |
| Last eruption | 1700-1799 |
The Tseax River Cones are a set of pyroclastic cones and adjacent lava flows located 60km north of Terrace, British Columbia, in the Pacific Northwest region of Canada. It is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire that includes over 160 active volcanoes. The pyroclastic cones formed by volcanic bombs and cinders. The most recent cone is 290 m in diameter at the base and rests on the remnants of an earlier and larger, dissected, 460 m diameter cone.
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[edit] Eruptive history
The volcano was active at least twice (220 and 650 years ago). It is the only eruption in Canada for which legends of First Nations people have unproven. The Tseax River Cones are within the Nisga'a Memorial Lava Beds Provincial Park.
[edit] 1700-1799 eruption
The last eruption from the Tseax River Cones was about 220 years ago, which produced a lava flow 22.5 km long and destroyed the Nisga'a villages and the death of at least 2000 Nisga'a people by volcanic gases and poisonous smoke (most likely CO2). The Nisga'a story of the destruction, Canada's worst known geophysical disaster. The Nass River valley was inundated by the lava flows and contain abundant tree molds and lava tubes.
[edit] Hazards of the Tseax River Cones
If the Tseax River Cones were to erupt again, there would be a repeat of the poisonous gas disaster (as to what happened to the Nisga'a people) could cause forest fires and could poentially dam local rivers (as to what happened to the Tseax and Nass River) if the volume of the lava flows are large enough. If the lava flows were to again reach the Nass River, it could have disastrous short-term consequences for the important salmon fisheries on the Nass River system. The people who live and sleep in the region would have no knowledge of the dangers of the Tseax River Cones if they were to erupt again. Because of our knowledge of this previous disaster, modern monitoring would include studies of the gases emitted by the volcano and a warning to people living downslope from the volcano.
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