Mount Morrison (Alberta)

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Mount Morrison
Mount Morrison (Alberta).jpg
Mount Morrison seen from Buller Pond
Highest point
Elevation 2,765 m (9,072 ft) [1] [2]
Prominence 133 m (436 ft) [1]
Parent peak Mount Turner (2806 m) [1]
Listing Mountains of Alberta
Coordinates 50°50′16″N115°28′45″W / 50.83778°N 115.47917°W / 50.83778; -115.47917 [3]
Geography
Canada Alberta relief location map - transverse mercator proj.svg
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Mount Morrison
Location in Alberta
Canada relief map 2.svg
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Mount Morrison
Location in Canada
Mount Morrison (Alberta)
Interactive map of Mount Morrison
Country Canada
Province Alberta
Protected area Banff National Park [4]
Parent range
Topo map NTS 82J14 Spray Lakes Reservoir [3]
Geology
Rock age Cambrian
Rock type Sedimentary rock
Climbing
First ascent 1955 Don K. Morrison [1]
Easiest route Scramble [5]

Mount Morrison is a 2,765-metre (9,072-foot) mountain summit located in the upper Spray River Valley of southern Banff National Park, in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada. Mount Morrison in not visible from any road in Banff Park, however, it can be seen from Alberta Highway 742, also known as the Smith-Dorrien/Spray Trail in Kananaskis Country. Mount Morrison's nearest higher peak is Mount Turner, 1.8 km (1.1 mi) to the north. [1]

Contents

History

Mount Morrison was named in 1918 for Sir Edward Morrison (1867–1925), Major General in the Canadian Army during the First World War. [6] [7] Earlier in his career, he served in the Royal Canadian Dragoons with Sir Richard Turner in 1900 during the Second Boer War under the command of Brigadier-General Horace Smith-Dorrien. [1] Not coincidentally, Mount Morrison is situated two kilometres south of Mount Turner. [3]

The mountain's toponym was officially adopted in 1924 by the Geographical Names Board of Canada. [3]

The first ascent of the peak was made in 1955 by Don Morrison. [1]

Geology

Like most of the mountains in Banff Park, Mount Morrison is composed of sedimentary rock laid down during the Precambrian to Jurassic periods. [8] Formed in shallow seas, this sedimentary rock was pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny. [9]

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Mount Morrison is located in a subarctic climate with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers. [10] Temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. In terms of favorable weather, June through September are the best months to climb. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into Currie Creek, which empties into Spray Lakes Reservoir via Spray River.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Mount Morrison". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
  2. "Mount Morrison, Alberta". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2019-11-03.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Mount Morrison". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada . Retrieved 2019-01-02.
  4. 1 2 NTS mapsheet 82J14 Spray Lakes Reservoir
  5. "Morrison, Mount". explor8ion.com. 20 June 2018. Retrieved 2019-11-03.
  6. Place-names of Alberta. Ottawa: Geographic Board of Canada. 1928. p. 90.
  7. "Mount Morrison (Alberta)". cdnrockiesdatabases.ca. Retrieved 2019-11-03.
  8. Belyea, Helen R. (1960). The Story of the Mountains in Banff National Park (PDF). parkscanadahistory.com (Report). Ottawa: Geological Survey of Canada. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-10-02. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  9. Gadd, Ben (2008). Geology of the Rocky Mountains and Columbias.
  10. Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11 (5): 1633–1644. Bibcode:2007HESS...11.1633P. doi: 10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007 . ISSN   1027-5606.