Itcha Range
| Itcha Range | |
|---|---|
| Itcha Mountains "The Itchas" |
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Satellite image of the Itcha Range
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| Highest point | |
| Peak | Mount Downton |
| Elevation | 2,375 m (7,792 ft) |
| Coordinates | 52°42′21″N 124°51′3″W / 52.70583°N 124.85083°W |
| Geography | |
 Location map of the Itcha Range
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| Country | Canada |
| Province | British Columbia |
| District | Range 3 Coast Land District |
| Range coordinates | 52°40′00″N 124°50′00″W / 52.6667°N 124.8333°WCoordinates: 52°40′00″N 124°50′00″W / 52.6667°N 124.8333°W |
| Parent range | Chilcotin Plateau |
| Borders on | Ilgachuz Range |
| Topo map | NTS 93C/10 |
| Geology | |
| Formed by | Shield volcano |
| Orogeny | Anahim hotspot |
| Age of rock | Neogene-to-Quaternary |
| Type of rock | Igneous |
The Itcha Range is a small isolated mountain range in the West-Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada. It is located 40 km (25 mi) northeast of Anahim Lake on the Chilcotin Plateau. With a maximum elevation of 2,375 m (7,792 ft), it is the lowest of three mountain ranges extending east from the Coast Mountains. Two mountains are named in the Itcha Range; Mount Downton and Itcha Mountain. A large provincial park surrounds the Itcha Range and other features in its vicinity. More than 15 animal species are known to exist in the Itcha Range area, as well as a grassland community that is limited only to this location of British Columbia. The Itcha Range resides in the territory of aboriginal peoples who have occupied this region for centuries. This area has a relatively dry environment compared to the Coast Mountains in the west.
In contrast to most mountain ranges in British Columbia, the Itcha Range represents an inactive shield volcano. This highly dissected volcanic edifice consists of a variety of rock types, including basanite, hawaiite, trachyte, rhyolite, phonolite and alkali olivine basalt. They were deposited by different types of volcanic eruptions characterized by passive lava flows and explosivity. Two stages of eruptive activity have been identified at the volcano along with three sub-phases that are limited only to the first stage of development. The main body of the Itcha Range is between 3.8 and 3.0 million years old and thus over two million years ago it passed the most active shield stage of life. A long period of dormancy lasting for almost a million years followed, which was interrupted by the post-shield stage of volcanism 2.2 to 0.8 million years ago. More recent volcanic activity in and around the Itcha Range might have occurred in the last 340,000 years to produce cinder cones.
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Wikipedia