Armadillo Peak facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Armadillo Peak |
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 Armadillo Peak
Location in British Columbia
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 2,210 m (7,250 ft) |
| Prominence | 405 m (1,329 ft) |
| Geography | |
| Location | British Columbia, Canada |
| Parent range | Tahltan Highland |
| Topo map | NTS 104G/10 |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | 7.5 million years |
| Mountain type | Caldera |
| Last eruption | Miocene |
Armadillo Peak is a very old volcano in British Columbia, Canada. It is about 7.5 million years old! This peak is not a typical cone-shaped volcano anymore. Instead, it is a caldera, which is a large bowl-shaped hollow that forms when a volcano collapses.
Armadillo Peak is located about 3 kilometers north of Bourgeaux Creek. It is also northeast of Raspberry Pass. This peak sits south of a larger volcano called Mount Edziza. Another volcano, Ice Peak, which formed much later, actually overlaps with Armadillo Peak.
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What is Armadillo Peak?
Armadillo Peak is part of a bigger group of volcanoes called the Mount Edziza volcanic complex. This complex is made mostly of a type of volcanic rock called basalt. Basalt forms from runny lava flows.
A Collapsed Volcano
Armadillo Peak is a caldera. This means it was once a tall volcano that erupted and then collapsed in on itself. Imagine a giant underground bubble of magma (molten rock). When this magma erupts, the ground above it can sink, creating a huge crater. That's a caldera!
Destroyed by Ice
Over millions of years, glaciers have moved across the land. These huge sheets of ice are very powerful. They have worn away and largely destroyed the original caldera shape of Armadillo Peak. This shows how natural forces can change the landscape over long periods.
Its Neighbors
Armadillo Peak is close to other important volcanic features.
- It is south of Mount Edziza, which is a much larger and more famous volcano.
- The Ice Peak volcano formed during the early Pleistocene epoch. This was a time period that started about 2.5 million years ago. Ice Peak actually grew over parts of Armadillo Peak.
How Old is it?
Armadillo Peak is about 7.5 million years old. This makes it quite ancient! It formed during a geological time called the Miocene epoch. The Miocene epoch lasted from about 23 million to 5.3 million years ago. This was a time when many new mountain ranges were forming around the world.
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See Also
