Tombstone Mountain

Last updated
Tombstone Mountain
Kananaskis Tombstone Mtn.jpg
Tombstone Mountain
Highest point
Elevation 3,002 m (9,849 ft) [1]
Prominence 411 m (1,348 ft) [1]
Parent peak Elpoca Mountain (3036 m) [1]
Listing Mountains of Alberta
Coordinates 50°41′55″N115°01′02″W / 50.69861°N 115.01722°W / 50.69861; -115.01722 Coordinates: 50°41′55″N115°01′02″W / 50.69861°N 115.01722°W / 50.69861; -115.01722 [2]
Geography
Canada Alberta relief location map - transverse mercator proj.svg
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Tombstone Mountain
Location of Tombstone Mountain in Alberta
Canada relief map 2.svg
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Tombstone Mountain
Tombstone Mountain (Canada)
Country Canada
Province Alberta
Protected area Elbow-Sheep Wildland Provincial Park
Parent range Opal Range [3]
Canadian Rockies
Topo map NTS 82J11 Kananaskis Lakes [2]
Geology
Age of rock Cambrian
Type of rock Limestone
Climbing
Easiest route South: Scramble [4]

Tombstone Mountain is a 3,002-metre (9,849-foot) double summit mountain located near the southern end of the Opal Range in Kananaskis Country of the Canadian Rockies in Alberta, Canada. [1] Tombstone South is the lower of the two summits, and is labelled as Tombstone Mountain on some maps. It can be reached via scrambling, whereas the true north summit requires technical climbing. [4] Tombstone Mountain is situated within Elbow-Sheep Wildland Provincial Park, and its nearest higher peak is Elpoca Mountain, 4.0 km (2.5 mi) to the south. [1]

Contents

History

The mountain was named by Canadian surveyor George Mercer Dawson in 1884 for the pinnacles and slabs which resembled tombstones near the summit. [5] The mountain's name was officially adopted in 1924 by the Geographical Names Board of Canada. [2]

Geology

Tombstone Mountain is composed of sedimentary rock laid down during the Precambrian to Jurassic periods. Formed in shallow seas, this sedimentary rock was pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny. [6] Tombstone Mountain was created during the Lewis Overthrust. The steeply tilted strata are virtually the same in each peak of the Opal Range, with softer layers sandwiched between harder layers. [1]

Tombstone South seen from Elbow Lake Elbow Lake Kananaskis Tombstone South.jpg
Tombstone South seen from Elbow Lake

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Tombstone Mountain is located in a subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers. [7] Temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. In terms of favorable weather, July through September are the best months to climb Tombstone Mountain. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the Elbow River.

See also

Related Research Articles

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Mount Smuts

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Mount Packenham Mountain in the Canadian Rockies

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Commonwealth Peak

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Mount Murray (Alberta) Mountain in the Canadian Rockies

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Mount Remus

Mount Remus is a 2,688-metre (8,819-foot) mountain summit located in the Little Elbow River Valley of Kananaskis Country in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada. The mountain is named for Remus, who along with his twin brother Romulus were the mythological founders of Ancient Rome. The name was officially adopted by the Geographical Names Board of Canada in 1940. Mount Remus' nearest higher peak is Mount Romulus, 2.0 km (1.2 mi) to the west-southwest.

Fisher Peak (Alberta) Mountain peak in Alberta, Canada

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Tombstone Mountain". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
  2. 1 2 3 "Tombstone Mountain". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada . Retrieved 2019-08-08.
  3. "Opal Range". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2021-11-17.
  4. 1 2 Kane, Alan (2016). "Tomestone South". Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies (3rd ed.). Rocky Mountain Books. p. 190.
  5. Place-names of Alberta. Ottawa: Geographic Board of Canada. 1928. p. 126.
  6. Gadd, Ben (2008), Geology of the Rocky Mountains and Columbias
  7. Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11: 1633–1644. ISSN   1027-5606.