The Birch Mountains kimberlite field is a kimberlite

Kimberlite

Kimberlite is a type of potassic volcanic rock best known for sometimes containing diamonds. It is named after the town of Kimberley in South Africa, where the discovery of an diamond in 1871 spawned a diamond rush, eventually creating the Big Hole....

 field in Northern Alberta

Northern Alberta

Northern Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta.Its primary industry is oil and gas, with large heavy oil reserves being exploited at the Athabasca Oil Sands and Wabasca Area in the east of the region...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. It is a product of kimberlite volcanism during the Cretaceous

Cretaceous

The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...

 period which was the most prolific period for worldwide kimberlite volcanism. The field is part of the Northern Alberta kimberlite province

Northern Alberta kimberlite province

The Northern Alberta kimberlite province is a cluster of kimberlite pipes in Northern Alberta, Canada. It consists of three kimberlite fields, including the Birch Mountains, Buffalo Head Hills, and Mountain Lake cluster.-See also:...

 and consists of 8 diatreme

Diatreme

A diatreme is a breccia-filled volcanic pipe that was formed by a gaseous explosion. Diatremes often breach the surface and produce a tuff cone, a filled relatively shallow crater known as a maar, or other volcanic pipes.- Word origin :...

s and is younger than the nearby Buffalo Head Hills kimberlite field

Buffalo Head Hills kimberlite field

The Buffalo Head Hills kimberlite field is a kimberlite field in north-central Alberta, Canada. It is a product of kimberlite volcanism during the Cretaceous period which was the most prolific period for worldwide kimberlite volcanism...

, dating approximately 75 million years.

List of diatremes

The diatremes within the field include:

• Phoenix pipe
  Phoenix pipe
  The Phoenix pipe is a diatreme associated with the Birch Mountains kimberlite field in northern Alberta, Canada. It is thought to have formed about 75 million years ago when this part of Alberta was volcanically active during the Late Cretaceous period....
  
  
• Dragon pipe
  Dragon pipe
  The Dragon pipe is a diatreme associated with the Birch Mountains kimberlite field in northern Alberta, Canada. It is thought to have formed about 75 million years ago when this part of Alberta was volcanically active during the Late Cretaceous period....
  
  
• Xena pipe
  Xena pipe
  The Xena pipe is a diatreme associated with the Birch Mountains kimberlite field in northern Alberta, Canada. It is thought to have formed about 75 million years ago when this part of Alberta was volcanically active during the Late Cretaceous period.-See also:...
  
  
• Legend pipe
  Legend pipe
  The Legend pipe is a diatreme associated with the Birch Mountains kimberlite field in northern Alberta, Canada. It is thought to have formed about 75 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous period.-See also:*Volcanism of Canada...
  
  
• Valkyrie pipe
  Valkyrie pipe
  The Valkyrie pipe is a diatreme in northern Alberta, Canada. It is associated with a group of diatremes called the Birch Mountains kimberlite field which is thought to have formed about 75 million years ago when this part of Alberta was volcanically active during the Late Cretaceous period.-See...
  
  
• Kendu pipe
  Kendu pipe
  The Kendu pipe is a diatreme associated with the Birch Mountains kimberlite field in northern Alberta, Canada. It is thought to have formed about 75 million years ago when this part of Alberta was volcanically active during the Late Cretaceous period....
  
  

See also

• Volcanism of Canada
• Volcanism of Western Canada
  Volcanism of Western Canada
  Volcanism of Western Canada produces lava flows, lava plateaus, lava domes, cinder cones, stratovolcanoes, shield volcanoes, submarine volcanoes, calderas, diatremes and maars, along with examples of more less common volcanic forms such as tuyas and subglacial mounds.-Volcanic belts:*Anahim...
  
  
• List of volcanoes in Canada