Heart Peaks

Heart Peaks
Satellite photo of Heart Peaks (middle)
Highest point
Elevation	2,012 m (6,601 ft)
Prominence	1,012 m (3,320 ft)
Coordinates	58°35′56″N 131°57′48″W / 58.59889°N 131.96333°W / 58.59889; -131.96333Coordinates: 58°35′56″N 131°57′48″W / 58.59889°N 131.96333°W / 58.59889; -131.96333
Geography
Heart Peaks Location of Heart Peaks in British Columbia
Location	British Columbia, Canada
Topo map	NTS 104J/12
Geology
Age of rock	Neogene-to-Quaternary
Mountain type	Shield volcano
Volcanic arc/belt	Northern Cordilleran Volcanic Province
Last eruption	Unknown

Heart Peaks, originally known as the Heart Mountains, is a mountain massif in the Northern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. It is located 90 km (56 mi) northwest of the small community of Telegraph Creek and just southwest of Callison Ranch. With a maximum elevation of 2,012 m (6,601 ft), it rises above the surrounding landscape on the Nahlin Plateau, which is part of the western Stikine Plateau. Heart Peaks has been an area of prospecting since the 1980s with the discovery of precious metals.

Situated in a large area of volcanic activity, Heart Peaks consists of a large shield volcano. It was formed in the past 23 million years by repeated eruptions of lava and rock. However, present day eruptions have not been observed. A number of related volcanoes are adjacent to Heart Peaks and form an extensive volcanic zone over 1,000 km (620 mi) long. The knowledge of Heart Peaks is limited, especially its eruptive history.

Heart Peaks is part of the Northern Cordilleran Volcanic Province, a long volcanic chain extending from just north of the city of Prince Rupert in British Columbia through Yukon to the Alaska border. Along this line, the North American Plate has been rupturing. Earth's lithosphere consists of several large tectonic plates, which slowly move towards and away from one another, either converging and subducting or diverging and rifting; volcanoes and earthquakes are generated by these activities. The west coast of North America is the site of plate margins between the large Pacific and North American plates, and also between the smaller Juan de Fuca and Cocos plates.