Tent Mountain

Tent Mountain
Tent Mountain Location in Alberta Show map of Alberta Tent Mountain Location in British Columbia Show map of British Columbia Tent Mountain Location in Canada Show map of Canada
Highest point
Elevation	2,210 m (7,250 ft) [1]
Prominence	500 m (1,600 ft) [1]
Listing	Mountains of Alberta Mountains of British Columbia
Coordinates	49°33′26″N114°42′31″W / 49.55722°N 114.70861°W / 49.55722; -114.70861 [2]
Geography
Country	Canada
Provinces	Alberta and British Columbia
District	Kootenay Land District [3]
Topo map	NTS 82G10 Crowsnest [2]

Tent Mountain is located on the border of Alberta and British Columbia on the Continental Divide. It was named in 1911 by Morrison P. Bridgland. ^{[4] [1]}

Tent Mountain hosts a legacy mountaintop removal coal mine, which closed in 1983. Approximately half of the "top" of Tent Mountain was removed to access the coal creating a large open-pit at the top of the mountain. The waste rock was left in a pile along the side of the mountain next to the open-pit. In 2021, a proposal was received to restart mining at the top of Tent Mountain. ^[5] The proposal has since been withdrawn.

A recent study of water quality both within the mine area and in rivers draining the mine revealed elevated concentrations of selenium. ^[6] Selenium concentrations downstream of Tent Mountain reached 185 μg/L in a pond below the mine spoil pile, and up to 23 μg/L in Crowsnest Creek, which drains the pond and the mine property. Crowsnest Creek in turn flows into Crowsnest Lake.

See also

• List of peaks on the Alberta–British Columbia border

References

1. "Tent Mountain". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
2. "Tent Mountain (Alberta)". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada . Retrieved 2025-01-18.
3. "Tent Mountain". BC Geographical Names . Retrieved 2025-01-18.
4. "Tent Mountain". cdnrockiesdatabases.ca. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
5. "Tent Mountain Mine Redevelopment Project". Impact Assessment Agency of Canada. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
6. Cooke, Colin A.; Emmerton, Craig A.; Drevnick, Paul E. (2024-03-01). "Legacy coal mining impacts downstream ecosystems for decades in the Canadian Rockies". Environmental Pollution. 344: 123328. doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2024.123328. ISSN   0269-7491.