Physical controls and resulting morphological forms of Quaternary ice-contact volcanoes in western Canada

Volcanism in association with large quantities of ice manifests itself in a variety of morphological forms developed under differing physical conditions. These physical conditions include the location, amount, thickness, and type of confining ice, the location and quantity of trapped water, and the surrounding topography. Ice in the form of thick continental ice sheets, thinner alpine glaciers or even perennial accumulations of snow can influence the resulting morphological form of the volcano. The chemical composition of the erupting magma, effusion rate and total erupted volume will also affect the shape of the resulting edifice. Quaternary volcanoes influenced by many of these factors are found in western Canada. The morphological forms range from tuyas to subglacial mounds to stratovolcanoes. This paper provides a review of ice-contact volcanism and volcanic products formed in these environments using Canadian examples for illustration.