Ice Peak is the prominent south peak of Mount Edziza in Cassiar Land District of northwestern British Columbia, Canada. It has an elevation of 2,500 metres (8,200 feet) and protrudes through Mount Edziza's ice cap, which is roughly 70 square kilometres (27 square miles) in area. The peak is a pyramid-shaped horn formed by glacial erosion and is completely flanked by steep-walled, active cirques. Tencho Glacier on the southern flank is the largest outlet glacier of Mount Edziza's ice cap. The summit of Ice Peak is about 280 m (920 ft) lower than that of Mount Edziza, but it still rises well above the general level of the Big Raven Plateau. Ice Peak and the surrounding area are in Mount Edziza Provincial Park, which also includes the Spectrum Range to the south. Ice Peak is the remains of an approximately 1-million-year-old stratovolcano whose original eastern flank has been almost completely destroyed by erosion. Four cirques on the eroded eastern flank have exposed the internal structure of the stratovolcano whereas the southern and western flanks are approximal to those of the original volcano. The northern flank is buried under the younger and higher stratovolcano of Mount Edziza which reaches an elevation of 2,786 m (9,140 ft). On the southwestern flank is the Snowshoe Lava Field, which issued from at least 12 vents mostly near the terminus of outlet glaciers in the last 20,000 years. A diverse assemblage of volcanic rocks forms the Ice Peak stratovolcano and are subdivided into three geological formations with varying ages.
Geography and geomorphology
Location Ice Peak lies in Mount Edziza Provincial Park southeast of the community of Telegraph Creek. With an area of 2,661.8 km2 (1,027.7 mi2), Mount Edziza Provincial Park is one of the largest provincial parks in British Columbia and was established in 1972 to preserve the volcanic landscape. It includes not only the Mount Edziza area but also the Spectrum Range to the south, which are separated by Raspberry Pass. Mount Edziza Provincial Park is in the Tahltan Highland, a southeast-trending upland area extending along the western side of the Stikine Plateau.
Structure Ice Peak is the prominent south peak of Mount Edziza, an ice-covered stratovolcano in Cassiar Land District of northwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is a pyramid-shaped horn formed by glacial erosion and represents the western rim of a small caldera which formed on the summit of an older stratovolcano. This stratovolcano is one of four felsic central volcanoes along the north–south axis of the Mount Edziza volcanic complex, the other three being Armadillo Peak, the Spectrum Range and the 2,786 m (9,140 ft) high edifice of Mount Edziza. The current, 2,500 m (8,200 ft) high horn of Ice Peak protrudes through the roughly 70-square-kilometre (27-square-mile) ice cap of Mount Edziza and is completely flanked by steep-walled, active cirques. Tencho Glacier on the southern flank of Ice Peak is the largest outlet glacier of the ice cap, as well as the largest glacier of the Mount Edziza volcanic complex. Idiji Glacier occupies a cirque on the eastern flank of Ice Peak whereas Tennaya Glacier extends southeast from between Ice Peak and the summit of Mount Edziza. Four cirques on the eastern flank have exposed the internal structure of the Ice Peak stratovolcano whereas the western flank is completely mantled by glaciers. The eastern cirques are at the head of Tennaya Creek which flows northeast into Nuttlude Lake, an expansion of Kakiddi Creek. Between the Tennaya, Nido and Tenchen creeks are pie-shaped, gently sloping interfluves which represent the remains of the original eastern flank of the Ice Peak stratovolcano. Although the original eastern flank has been almost completely destroyed by erosion, the northern flank is buried under the younger stratovolcano of Mount Edziza. The southern and western flanks of the Ice Peak stratovolcano are approximal to those of the original volcano and merge with the Big Raven Plateau, which is one of the main physiographic features of the Mount Edziza volcanic complex.
Subfeatures
On the southwestern flank of Ice Peak is a roughly 40-square-kilometre (15-square-mile) area of lava flows and at least 12 vents called the Snowshoe Lava Field. Most of the vents in this lava field are at elevations above 1,800 m (5,900 ft) near the terminus of outlet glaciers of the Mount Edziza ice cap, five of which named. The highest of these vents, Tennena Cone, attains an elevation of 2,390 m (7,840 ft) on the upper western flank of Ice Peak. Cocoa Crater to the southwest has an elevation of 2,117 m (6,946 ft), making it the second highest of the five named vents. The third highest vent, Coffee Crater, is 2,000 m (6,600 ft) in elevation and lies northwest of Cocoa Crater. South of Coffee Crater on the south side of upper Taweh Creek is Keda Cone, the fourth highest vent with an elevation of 1,980 m (6,500 ft). Between the heads of Taweh and Shaman creeks is The Saucer which, with an elevation of 1,920 m (6,300 ft), is the lowest named vent in the Snowshoe Lava Field. Icefall Cone and Ridge Cone are two parasitic cones on the eastern rim of Ice Peak at an elevation of about 2,285 m (7,497 ft). Both cones are younger than the main edifice of Ice Peak, but they have been greatly modified by glaciation, slumping and rockfalls due to their location near the steep headwalls of active cirques. Punch Cone on the western flank of Ice Peak is a roughly 1-kilometre-long (0.62-mile), steep-sided ridge protruding through Mount Edziza's ice cap. It is elliptical in structure and older than the Icefall and Ridge cones, although it is also younger than the main edifice of Ice Peak. Also on the western flank of Ice Peak where it merges with the surrounding Big Raven Plateau are the Koosick and Ornostay bluffs, which lie adjacent to the head of Sezill Creek. The Neck is a circular, 300 m (980 ft) in diameter volcanic plug on the southeastern flank with an elevation of 1,830 m (6,000 ft).
Geology
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