Anahim Peak

Anahim Peak, sometimes mistakenly called Anaheim, is a volcanic cone in the Anahim Volcanic Belt in British Columbia, Canada, located 39 km (24 mi) northwest of Anahim Lake and 11 km (7 mi) east of Tsitsutl Peak.[1][2] It was formed when the North American Plate moved over a hotspot, similar to the one feeding the Hawaiian Islands, called the Anahim hotspot. It is one of the several volcanoes in the Anahim Volcanic Belt that stands out all by itself, rising from the Chilcotin Plateau, between the Rainbow Range and the Ilgachuz Range and near the headwaters of the Dean River.

Anahim Peak
Bes But'a
West side of Anahim Peak
Highest point
Elevation1,897 m (6,224 ft) [1]
Prominence542 m (1,778 ft) [1]
Listing
Coordinates52°45′28″N 125°37′31″W [2]
Geography
Parent rangeChilcotin Plateau
Topo mapNTS 93C/13
Geology
Age of rock6.7 million years[3]
Mountain typeVolcanic plug
Volcanic beltAnahim Volcanic Belt

Name

The Carrier (Dakelh) name for Anahim Peak is Bes But'a, meaning "obsidian peak";[4] the word bes occurs in local English as "beece", another word for obsidian and also an early designation for this mountain, although today's Beece Creek is not nearby but rather near Taseko Mountain some distance to the southeast. The name Anahim is that of Chief Anahim, a leader of the Tsilhqot'in people in the mid-19th Century.

Area and history

Anahim Peak was a significant source of obsidian for the Nuxalk, Tsilhqot'in, and Dakelh peoples. Obsidian was desirable because extremely sharp arrowheads and cutting knives could be made from it. It was also used for jewellery. Anahim obsidian was traded widely all over the BC Interior and up and down the Coast from Bella Coola. Red ochre was used in paint and decoration was also taken from this area. Anahim Peak is not far from the small community of Anahim Lake.

See also

References
  1. "Anahim Peak". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2007-03-18.
  2. "Anahim Peak". BC Geographical Names. Retrieved 2009-01-13.
  3. Bevier, Mary Lou (1978). Field Relations and Petrology of the Rainbow Range Shield Volcano, West-Central British Columbia (M.S. Thesis). University of British Columbia. p. 68. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
  4. "Dakelh placenames". Yinka Dene Language Institute. Retrieved 2009-11-20.
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