Nechako Plateau
Encyclopedia
The Nechako Plateau is the northernmost subdivision of the Interior Plateau
, one of the main geographic regions of the Canadian province
of British Columbia
. It spans the basin of the Nechako River
and its tributaries the Stuart River
and Endako Rivers, and is bounded on the south by the West Road River
(Blackwater River), south of which is the Chilcotin Plateau
and on the north by the Nation River
and the valleys of Babine
and Takla Lake
s, beyond which are the Omineca Mountains
(N) and Skeena Mountains
(NW). To the west, it abuts the various ranges of the Hazelton Mountains
while on its east it is bounded by the pass between Prince George, British Columbia
and the Parsnip Arm of Williston Lake
, beyond which is the McGregor Plateau
, which skirts the Northern Rockies. Some classification systems include the plateau area on the east bank of the Fraser River beyond the city of Prince George; this area neighbours the northernmost reaches of the Quesnel Highland
and Cariboo Mountains
.
The Fawnie, Nechako and Telegraph Ranges are low ranges of hills, but the Quanchus Range is a very mountainous near-island within the arms of the Nechako Reservoir (formerly a chain of lakes). Much of this area of the plateau is in Tweedsmuir North Provincial Park and Protected Area
.
and sedimentary rock
. Large ice sheets then carved the bedrock into rolling hills at about metres above sea level. Nazko Cone
, the easternmost and youngest volcano of the Anahim Volcanic Belt
, rests on the glacial till. The source for this volcanic activity is the Anahim hotspot
, which is believed to have been active for about 13 million years.
The Nechako Canyon
, also called the Grand Canyon of the Nechako, is now in a provincial protected area
due to its striking landscape, formed by the course of the Nechako River
carving into the plateau's lava and lined with pinnacles and overhanging cliff. It begins at the outlet of the Nechako Reservoir at Kenny Dam and ends at Cheslatta Falls, an 18m drop which is the last leg of the Cheslatta River.
, subalpine fir
, and (at higher elevations) Engelmann spruce
trees. The plateau is protected from the Pacific weather systems by the Coast Mountains
and Hazelton Mountains
, resulting in dry, warm summers and dry, cold winters.
Interior Plateau
The Interior Plateau comprises a large region of central British Columbia, and lies between the Cariboo and Monashee Mountains on the east, and the Hazelton Mountains, Coast Mountains and Cascade Range on the west. The continuation of the plateau into the United States is known there as the...
, one of the main geographic regions of the Canadian province
Provinces and territories of Canada
The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...
of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. It spans the basin of the Nechako River
Nechako River
The Nechako River arises on the Nechako Plateau east of the Kitimat Ranges of the Coast Mountains of British Columbia and flows north toward Fort Fraser, then east to Prince George where it enters the Fraser River...
and its tributaries the Stuart River
Stuart River
The Stuart River is a river in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. The river flows over from Stuart Lake to its junction with the Nechako River. The river drains a portion of the Nechako Plateau — a gently-rolling region characterized by small lakes and tributaries...
and Endako Rivers, and is bounded on the south by the West Road River
West Road River
The West Road River or Blackwater River is a major tributary of the Fraser River, flowing generally north-eastward from the northern slopes of the Ilgachuz Range and across the Fraser Plateau in the Chilcotin region of central British Columbia, Canada...
(Blackwater River), south of which is the Chilcotin Plateau
Chilcotin Plateau
The Chilcotin Plateau is part of the Fraser Plateau, a major subdivision of the Interior Plateau of British Columbia. The Chilcotin Plateau is physically near-identical with the region of the same name, i.e...
and on the north by the Nation River
Nation River
Nation River may refer to:* South Nation River in Ontario* Petite-Nation River in Quebec* Nation River , a tributary of the Peace River in British Columbia...
and the valleys of Babine
Babine Lake
Babine Lake is the longest natural lake in British Columbia, Canada.Babine Lake is located northeast of the town of Burns Lake in central British Columbia, some west northwest of the city of Prince George. It is long, wide, and has a net area of and a total area of...
and Takla Lake
Takla Lake
Takla Lake is the fifth largest natural lake in British Columbia, Canada. It is a deep fjord-like lake with the Swannell Ranges to the east, the Driftwood River flowing into it from the north, and the Middle River draining it. It is the terminus of the early Stuart-Takla sockeye salmon run, and...
s, beyond which are the Omineca Mountains
Omineca Mountains
The Omineca Mountains, also known as "the Ominecas", are a group of remote mountain ranges in north-central British Columbia, Canada. They are bounded by the Finlay River on the north, the Rocky Mountain Trench on the east, the Nation River on the south, and the upper reaches of the Omineca River...
(N) and Skeena Mountains
Skeena Mountains
The Skeena Mountains, also known as the Skeenas, are a subrange of the Interior Mountains of northern British Columbia, Canada, essentially flanking the upper basin of the Skeena River. They lie just inland from the southern end of the Boundary Ranges of the Coast Mountains, and also of the...
(NW). To the west, it abuts the various ranges of the Hazelton Mountains
Hazelton Mountains
The Hazelton Mountains are a grouping of mountain ranges on the inland lee of the Kitimat Ranges of the Coast Mountains in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, spanning the area of Hazelton, British Columbia south to the Nechako Reservoir...
while on its east it is bounded by the pass between Prince George, British Columbia
Prince George, British Columbia
Prince George, with a population of 71,030 , is the largest city in northern British Columbia, Canada, and is known as "BC's Northern Capital"...
and the Parsnip Arm of Williston Lake
Williston Lake
Williston Lake is a reservoir created by the W. A. C. Bennett Dam and is located in the Northern Interior of British Columbia, Canada.-Geography:...
, beyond which is the McGregor Plateau
McGregor Plateau
The McGregor Plateau is a sub-plateau of the Fraser Plateau, the northernmost major subdivision of the Interior Plateau spanning the inland regions of the Pacific Northwest...
, which skirts the Northern Rockies. Some classification systems include the plateau area on the east bank of the Fraser River beyond the city of Prince George; this area neighbours the northernmost reaches of the Quesnel Highland
Quesnel Highland
The Quesnel Highland is a geographic area in the Central Interior of the Canadian province of British Columbia. As defined by BC government geographer in Landforms of British Columbia, an account and analysis of British Columbia geography that is often cited as authoritative...
and Cariboo Mountains
Cariboo Mountains
The Cariboo Mountains are the northernmost subrange of the Columbia Mountains, which run down into the Spokane, Washington area of the United States and include the Selkirks, Monashees and Purcells. The Cariboo Mountains are entirely within the province of British Columbia, Canada. The range is...
.
Sub-ranges
The Nechako Plateau has four official subranges:- Fawnie Range
- Nechako Range
- Quanchus RangeQuanchus RangeThe Quanchus Range is a subrange of the Nechako Plateau in the Interior of British Columbia, Canada, located on the north end of Tweedsmuir North Provincial Park and Protected Area. It is almost completely an island after the creation of the Nechako Reservoir. Its two main summits are Michel Peak ...
- Telegraph Range
The Fawnie, Nechako and Telegraph Ranges are low ranges of hills, but the Quanchus Range is a very mountainous near-island within the arms of the Nechako Reservoir (formerly a chain of lakes). Much of this area of the plateau is in Tweedsmuir North Provincial Park and Protected Area
Tweedsmuir North Provincial Park and Protected Area
Tweedsmuir North Provincial Park and Protected Area is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. Formerly part of Tweedsmuir Provincial Park, one of the earliest large parks established in the provincial parks system, it was redesignated a park and protected area as the latter classification...
.
Geology
The Nechako Plateau was created by lava flowing over older volcanicVolcanic rock
Volcanic rock is a rock formed from magma erupted from a volcano. In other words, it is an igneous rock of volcanic origin...
and sedimentary rock
Sedimentary rock
Sedimentary rock are types of rock that are formed by the deposition of material at the Earth's surface and within bodies of water. Sedimentation is the collective name for processes that cause mineral and/or organic particles to settle and accumulate or minerals to precipitate from a solution....
. Large ice sheets then carved the bedrock into rolling hills at about metres above sea level. Nazko Cone
Nazko Cone
Nazko Cone is a small potentially active basaltic cinder cone in central British Columbia, Canada, located 75 km west of Quesnel and 150 kilometers southwest of Prince George. It is considered the easternmost volcano in the Anahim Volcanic Belt. The small tree-covered cone rises 120 m above...
, the easternmost and youngest volcano of the Anahim Volcanic Belt
Anahim Volcanic Belt
The Anahim Volcanic Belt is a long volcanic belt, stretching from just north of Vancouver Island to near Quesnel, British Columbia, Canada. The Anahim Volcanic Belt has had three main magmatic episodes: 15–13 Ma, 9–6 Ma, and 3–1 Ma. The volcanoes generally become younger eastward at a rate of to ...
, rests on the glacial till. The source for this volcanic activity is the Anahim hotspot
Anahim hotspot
The Anahim hotspot is a volcanic hotspot in central British Columbia, Canada. It is situated on the Interior Plateau, a large region that lies between the Cariboo and Monashee Mountains to the east, and the Hazelton Mountains, Coast Mountains and Cascade Range to the west...
, which is believed to have been active for about 13 million years.
The Nechako Canyon
Nechako Canyon
The Nechako Canyon, also known as the Grand Canyon of the Nechako, is a canyon on the Nechako River in the Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada, located between Cheslatta Falls and Knewstubb Lake, which lies immediately above the Kenny Dam, which forms the Nechako Reservoir...
, also called the Grand Canyon of the Nechako, is now in a provincial protected area
Nechako Canyon Protected Area
Nechako Canyon Protected Area is a protected area of the BC Parks system, located on the Nechako River between Knewstubb Lake Nechako Canyon Protected Area is a protected area of the BC Parks system, located on the Nechako River between Knewstubb Lake Nechako Canyon Protected Area is a protected...
due to its striking landscape, formed by the course of the Nechako River
Nechako River
The Nechako River arises on the Nechako Plateau east of the Kitimat Ranges of the Coast Mountains of British Columbia and flows north toward Fort Fraser, then east to Prince George where it enters the Fraser River...
carving into the plateau's lava and lined with pinnacles and overhanging cliff. It begins at the outlet of the Nechako Reservoir at Kenny Dam and ends at Cheslatta Falls, an 18m drop which is the last leg of the Cheslatta River.
Climate and ecology
The area is populated with white spruceWhite Spruce
Picea glauca is a species of spruce native to boreal forests in the north of North America, from central Alaska east to Newfoundland, and south to northern Montana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, upstate New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine; there is also an isolated population in the...
, subalpine fir
Subalpine Fir
The Subalpine Fir or Rocky Mountain Fir is a western North American fir, native to the mountains of Yukon, British Columbia and western Alberta in Canada; southeastern Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, western Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, northeastern Nevada, and the...
, and (at higher elevations) Engelmann spruce
Engelmann Spruce
Picea engelmannii is a species of spruce native to western North America, from central British Columbia and southwest Alberta, southwest to northern California and southeast to Arizona and New Mexico; there are also two isolated populations in northern Mexico...
trees. The plateau is protected from the Pacific weather systems by the Coast Mountains
Coast Mountains
The Coast Mountains are a major mountain range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges, of western North America, extending from southwestern Yukon through the Alaska Panhandle and virtually all of the Coast of British Columbia. They are so-named because of their proximity to the sea coast, and are often...
and Hazelton Mountains
Hazelton Mountains
The Hazelton Mountains are a grouping of mountain ranges on the inland lee of the Kitimat Ranges of the Coast Mountains in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, spanning the area of Hazelton, British Columbia south to the Nechako Reservoir...
, resulting in dry, warm summers and dry, cold winters.