Cirque Peak (Alberta)
Cirque Peak | |
---|---|
![]() Cirque Peak from Helen Lake, July 1994 | |
Highest point | |
Elevation | 2,993 m (9,820 ft)[1] |
Prominence | 341 m (1,119 ft)[2] |
Parent peak | Observation Peak[2] |
Listing | Mountains of Alberta |
Coordinates | 51°41′59″N 116°25′04″W / 51.69972°N 116.41778°W[2] |
Geography | |
Parent range | Canadian Rockies |
Topo map | NTS 82N9 Hector Lake |
Climbing | |
First ascent | 1899[2][3] |
Easiest route | Easy Scramble |
Cirque Peak is a 2,993-metre (9,820-foot) peak located directly west of Dolomite Pass in the Bow River valley of Banff National Park, in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada.
The mountain forms a cirque, hence the name.[4]
Scrambling Route
[edit]The scrambling route (rated easy) begins just beyond Helen Lake which can be reached by following the Helen Lake/Dolomite Pass trail 6 km from the trail head beside the Icefields Parkway. From the lake, follow the trail into Dolomite Pass and then choose a line up the peak.[5]
Geology
[edit]Like other mountains in Banff Park, Cirque Peak is composed of sedimentary rock laid down during the Precambrian to Jurassic periods.[6] Formed in shallow seas, this sedimentary rock was pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny.[7]
Climate
[edit]Based on the Köppen climate classification, Cirque Peak is located in a subarctic climate with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.[8] Temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C.
References
[edit]- ^ Bow Lake and Saskatchewan Crossing (Map). 1:70,000. Gem Trek Publishing. 2000. ISBN 1-895526-10-8. Archived from the original on 2019-06-09. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
- ^ a b c d "Cirque Peak". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2012-07-01.
- ^ "Cirque Peak". cdnrockiesdatabases.ca. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
- ^ Place-names of Alberta. Ottawa: Geographic Board of Canada. 1928. p. 34. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
- ^ Kane, Alan (1999). "Cirque Peak". Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies. Calgary: Rocky Mountain Books. pp. 222–223. ISBN 0-921102-67-4.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Gadd, Ben (2008), Geology of the Rocky Mountains and Columbias
- ^ 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.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4d/Cirque_Peak_and_Helen_Lake.jpg/650px-Cirque_Peak_and_Helen_Lake.jpg)