Dragon Cone facts for kids

Dragon Cone is a special kind of small volcano located in Wells Gray Provincial Park in east-central British Columbia, Canada. It's called a cinder cone because it's shaped like a cone and made mostly of small, bubbly volcanic rocks called cinders. Dragon Cone is also a "monogenetic" volcano, which means it erupted only once. This volcano is famous for creating a long stream of hardened lava known as Dragon's Tongue.

Dragon Cone: A Young Volcano

Dragon Cone is part of a group of volcanoes in the Wells Gray-Clearwater volcanic field. This area has many volcanoes, but Dragon Cone is one of the younger ones. It stands about 1,830 meters (6,004 feet) tall.

What is a Cinder Cone?

Imagine a volcano that looks like a steep, round hill. That's a cinder cone! They form when hot, bubbly lava explodes into the air. As the lava cools, it breaks into small, lightweight pieces called cinders. These cinders then fall back down around the volcanic vent, piling up to create the cone shape. Cinder cones are usually smaller than big, famous volcanoes.

The Dragon's Tongue Lava Flow

When Dragon Cone erupted, it sent out a huge river of lava. This lava flow, named Dragon's Tongue, stretched for about 15 kilometers (9 miles). It flowed down the narrow Falls Creek Valley. The lava eventually reached the Clearwater River. It was so powerful that it blocked the river, creating a natural dam about 3 meters (10 feet) high. This dam caused the water level of the existing Clearwater Lake to rise.

How Old is Dragon Cone?

Scientists have studied the lava from Dragon Cone to find out when it erupted. They found some ancient plant material, like peat, buried under the lava. By using a method called radiocarbon dating, they could tell how old the peat was. This dating showed that Dragon Cone erupted around 7,560 years ago. This happened during a time in Earth's history called the Holocene epoch, which is our current geological period. Other nearby volcanoes, like Flourmill Cone, Kostal Cone, and Spanish Lake Cone, also erupted around the same time.

Visiting Dragon Cone

Getting to Dragon Cone is quite difficult because there are no easy paths. The closest trail, the Kostal Lake Trail, is over 5 kilometers (3 miles) away and is very overgrown. Falls Creek, which runs near the cone, is too rough for boats. Because of the tough access, very few people visit Dragon Cone on the ground. The best way to see this unique volcano is from an airplane. However, float planes are not allowed to land on nearby Ray Lake.