Mount Edziza volcanic complex
The Mount Edziza volcanic complex (/ədˈzaɪzə/ əd-ZY-zə; abbreviated MEVC) is a group of volcanoes and associated lava flows in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. Located on the Tahltan Highland, it is 40 kilometres (25 miles) southeast of Telegraph Creek and 85 km (53 mi) southwest of Dease Lake. The complex encompasses a broad, steep-sided lava plateau that extends over 1,000 km2 (390 sq mi). Its highest summit is 2,786 metres (9,140 feet) in elevation, making the MEVC the highest of four large complexes in an extensive north–south trending volcanic region. It is obscured by an ice cap characterized by several outlet glaciers that stretch out to lower altitudes.
The MEVC consists of several types of volcanoes, including stratovolcanoes, shield volcanoes, cinder cones and lava domes. These volcanoes have formed over the last 7.5 million years during five cycles of magmatic activity which spanned four geologic epochs. Volcanic eruptions during these magmatic cycles produced a wide variety of volcanic rocks that comprise 13 geological formations. The most recent eruptions took place in the last 11,000 years but none of them have been precisely dated. Current activity occurs exclusively in the form of hot springs which exist along the western side of the volcanic complex. Future eruptions are likely to impact local streams and cause wildfires.
Several streams surround the MEVC, many of which drain the flanks of the volcanic complex. They include the Little Iskut River along the southeastern flank, Kakiddi Creek along the northeastern flank, the Klastline River along the northern flank and Mess Creek along the western flank. The valleys of these streams contain several species of trees, including white spruce, trembling aspen and lodgepole pine. Animal species such as birds, rodents, bears, sheep, goats, moose and caribou inhabit the area. Warm summers and cold, snowy winters characterize the climate at the MEVC; snow and ice remain on the highest volcanoes year-round.
Indigenous peoples have lived adjacent to the MEVC for thousands of years. Historically, the local Tahltan people used volcanic glass from the MEVC to make tools and weaponry. Intermittent geological work has been carried out at the volcanic complex since at least the 1950s, the most detailed studies having been conducted in the 1960s. A large provincial park, which can only be accessed by aircraft or by a network of horse trails, dominates the MEVC.