Volcano Mountain
| Volcano Mountain | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation |
1,239 m (4,065 ft) |
| Coordinates | 62°56′N 137°23′W / 62.93°N 137.38°W |
| Geography | |
| Location | Yukon, Canada |
| Parent range | Yukon Ranges |
| Topo map | NTS 115.I/14 |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | Holocene? |
| Mountain type | Cinder cone |
| Volcanic arc/belt | Northern Cordilleran Volcanic Province |
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 Rivers. Volcano Mountain is called Nelrúna in the Northern Tutchone language.
Geology
Volcano Mountain is the youngest volcano in the Fort Selkirk Volcanic Field 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 basaltic 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 and poisonous gases. Older volcanic deposits south of Volcano Mountain indicate that lava flows may have once partly blocked or at least altered the course of the Yukon and Pelly Rivers. 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.