New Aiyansh Lava Beds

I had some very good friends come for a visit in early May. Taking advantage of one my friend’s abilities as a Geology Professor we went to visit some nearby lava beds in New Aiyansh which is about two and a half hours from where I live.

What’s interesting about these lava beds is how young they are. This was Canada’s youngest lava flow by a long shot. Other flows are at least 2000 years old. This is only about 250 years and it totally wiped out two native villages and about 2000 people.

This lake was made when a lava flow dammed the Tseax River.

There is different kinds of lava to see here. Pahoehoe where Cam and Leif are and Blocky in the background. The lava is covered with a thick layer of lichen and moss.

Pointing out the Feldspar and Olivine Crystals within a chip of lava.

We did find a few flowers here and there, like Saxifrage and Calypso Orchids.

These tree moulds were fun to look through. A tree was covered and incinerated by the lava flow leaving behind the hollow impression of the tree.

The lava flow covered something like 22 km. If you have Google Earth you should look for “New Aiyansh, BC” and see just how big that is. It’s an incredible sight. When you’re standing in the middle of this lava flow, it feels like you’re standing on the moon.