The Castle (volcano) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Castle |
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 The Castle
Location in British Columbia
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 510 m (1,670 ft) |
| Prominence | 40 m (130 ft) |
| Geography | |
| Location | British Columbia, Canada |
| Parent range | Pacific Ranges |
| Topo map | NTS 92G/11 |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | Pleistocene |
| Mountain type | Lava spine |
| Volcanic arc/belt | Canadian Cascade Arc Garibaldi Volcanic Belt |
| Last eruption | Pleistocene |
The Castle is a unique rock formation found west of Squamish in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It's not a typical cone-shaped volcano. Instead, The Castle is a special kind of volcano called a lava spine. It's part of a larger area of volcanic activity known as the Garibaldi Volcanic Belt. This belt is also a section of the much bigger Cascade Volcanic Arc.
Contents
What is The Castle?
The Castle is a type of volcano called a lava spine. Imagine very thick, sticky lava trying to push its way out of the ground. Instead of flowing like a river, this lava is so thick that it just piles up. It forms a tall, narrow spike or tower of solid rock. This is what a lava spine is.
How a Lava Spine Forms
Lava spines form when magma (melted rock under the Earth's surface) is very thick. It has a lot of silica, which makes it sticky. When this magma reaches the surface, it's too stiff to flow easily. It just pushes up like toothpaste from a tube. As it cools, it hardens into a solid rock tower. This creates a steep, often jagged, rock formation.
Where is The Castle Located?
The Castle is in the beautiful mountains of British Columbia, Canada. It's close to the town of Squamish. The area around The Castle has many north-south cracks in the Earth. These cracks help control where the lava comes out. There are no hot springs known near The Castle.
The Garibaldi Volcanic Belt
The Castle is part of the Garibaldi Volcanic Belt. This belt is a chain of volcanoes in southwestern British Columbia. It stretches for about 80 kilometers (50 miles). This area has seen many volcanic eruptions over millions of years. The volcanoes here are mostly made of thick, sticky lava.
The Cascade Volcanic Arc
The Garibaldi Volcanic Belt is actually the northern part of a much larger chain of volcanoes. This bigger chain is called the Cascade Volcanic Arc. It stretches all the way from British Columbia down through Washington, Oregon, and into northern California in the United States.
Why Volcanoes Form Here
The Cascade Volcanic Arc forms because of something called plate tectonics. Large pieces of the Earth's crust, called plates, are always moving. Here, an oceanic plate is sliding underneath the North American plate. This process is called subduction. As the oceanic plate goes deeper, it melts. This melted rock, or magma, then rises to the surface, creating volcanoes.
When Did The Castle Form?
The Castle formed during a time period called the Pleistocene epoch. This was a long time ago, from about 2.6 million to 11,700 years ago. The Pleistocene is famous for being the "Ice Age." During this time, large parts of the Earth were covered in glaciers. The volcanic activity that created The Castle happened during this icy period.
