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Approximate extent of the Silverthrone Caldera

The Silverthrone Caldera is a poorly studied volcano in the Range 2 Coast Land District of British Columbia, Canada. It lies within the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains and reaches an elevation of 2,860 metres (9,380 feet), although some sources give an elevation as high as 3,160 m (10,370 ft). Deeply eroded, the caldera is about 25 by 20 kilometres (16 by 12 miles) in size and has a rugged topography. The area is the origin of several streams and contains several named mountains, including Silverthrone Mountain. Volcanic rocks deposited by eruptions include rhyolites, dacites, andesites and basaltic andesites. They are exposed in valleys, but at higher elevations they are largely buried under glacial ice. The Silverthrone Caldera was a source of obsidian for indigenous peoples during the pre-Columbian era. Geological studies have been conducted at the volcano since at least the 1960s, but its very remote location has impeded detailed fieldwork. (Full article...)

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In the news

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The African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde, led by Francisco Carvalho (pictured), wins the most seats in the parliamentary election.
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On this day

May 19: Pontian Greek Genocide Remembrance Day in Greece (1919); Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day in Turkey (1919)

John III Sobieski

715 – Gregory II began his pontificate; his conflict with Byzantine emperor Leo III eventually led to the establishment of the temporal power of the pope.
1655 – Anglo-Spanish War: English forces invaded Jamaica, then administered by Spain as the Colony of Santiago, and captured it a week later.
1674 – John III Sobieski (pictured) was elected by the szlachta as the monarch of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
1776 – American Revolutionary War: A Continental Army garrison west of Montreal surrendered to British troops at the Battle of the Cedars.
1991 – Breakup of Yugoslavia: With the local Serb population boycotting the referendum, Croatians voted in favour of independence from Yugoslavia.
2015 – A corroded pipeline near Refugio State Beach, California, spilled 142,800 gallons (3,400 barrels) of crude oil onto the Gaviota Coast.

Helena of Moscow (b. 1476)
Nellie Melba (b. 1861)
Riccardo Calafiori (b. 2002)
Jeffrey Catherine Jones (d. 2011)

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Today's featured picture

The Pan-Pacific Auditorium was a prominent indoor venue in Los Angeles, California, United States, operating from 1935 until its closure in 1972. Designed by the architectural firm Wurdeman & Becket in the Streamline Moderne style, the auditorium featured a green-and-white façade with four aircraft-inspired towers. Over more than three decades, it hosted a wide range of events including sporting fixtures, political rallies, concerts, radio broadcasts and television productions. Notable visitors and performers included Leopold Stokowski, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Elvis Presley and Richard Nixon. Although added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, the building fell into disrepair and was eventually destroyed by fire in 1989. Its distinctive design inspired entrances at Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney California Adventure. This photograph, taken in the 1970s for the Historic American Buildings Survey, shows the entrance of the Pan-Pacific Auditorium with its distinctive towers.

Photograph credit: Marvin Rand; restored by Yann Forget

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