Mount Lyell (Canada)

Mount Lyell is a mountain on the Alberta-British Columbia border, in western Canada. Comprising five distinct summits, Mount Lyell reaches a height of 3,498 m (11,476 ft).[1] The mountain was named by James Hector in 1858 in recognition of the Scottish geologist, Sir Charles Lyell.[3]

Mount Lyell
Mt. Lyell & its 5 subpeaks, plus the Lyell Icefield, taken from Mt. Forbes (Columbia Icefield peaks on the horizon - click image for more details)
Highest point
Elevation3,498 m (11,476 ft) [1]
Prominence1,078 m (3,537 ft) [2]
Parent peakMount Forbes
ListingMountains of Alberta
Mountains of British Columbia
Coordinates51°57′24″N 117°06′12″W [3]
Geography
Mount Lyell
Mount Lyell
Mount Lyell
CountryCanada
ProvincesAlberta and British Columbia
Parent rangeLyell Group, Central Icefields
Canadian Rockies
Topo mapNTS 82N/14
Climbing
First ascent1902, James Outram, guided by Christian Kaufmann[4]

Geography

Mount Lyell is located on the Great Divide, which forms the BC-Alberta boundary in this area, in Banff National Park. Collectively, the five peaks, and the Mt. Lyell massif itself, are commonly referred to as 'the Lyells'.[2] The mountain is the highest in the Lyell Group, a subrange of the Central Icefields in the Canadian Rockies.[5]

Mt. Lyell and its 5 subpeaks: L1-L5

In 1972, five distinct peaks on Mt. Lyell (formerly referred to as only Lyell 1 through 5 or L1 through L5), were named after Swiss mountain guides who settled in Golden, British Columbia in 1912. Running south to north along the interprovincial boundary, these peaks are: Christian Peak (L5), Walter Peak (L4), and Ernest Peak (L3), named after Christian Hässler, Walter Feuz and Ernest Feuz. Located entirely in Alberta are Edward Peak (L2) and Rudolph Peak (L1), named after Edward Feuz Jr. and Rudolph Aemmer.[3]

Mount Lyell marks the limit between the South Saskatchewan and Columbia watersheds.

Geology

Mount Lyell 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] The Lyell Formation is named after Mount Lyell.[7] Geology for all five subpeaks is identical due to their proximity to the central peak (maximum distance: 1.6 km or 1 mile).

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Mount Lyell is located in a subarctic climate with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.[8] Temperatures can drop below −20 °C (−4 °F) with wind chill factors below −30 °C (−22 °F).

Mt. Lyell 1, 2 & 3 from the Columbia Icefield

See also

References
  1. Jones, David J. (2018). The Climbers Guide to the Rocky Mountains of Canada, Vol. Three: Rockies West. Golden, B.C.: Thin Gruel Press. pp. 208–209. ISBN 978-1-7753241-0-2.
  2. "Mount Lyell". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
  3. "Mount Lyell". BC Geographical Names. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
  4. "Mount Lyell". PeakFinder.com. Retrieved 2019-08-19.
  5. "Mount Lyell, Alberta/British Columbia". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2014-02-02.
  6. Gadd, Ben (2008). "Geology of the Rocky Mountains and Columbias". Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. Gadd, Ben (1986). Handbook of the Canadian Rockies. Jasper: Corax Press. pp. 106–108.
  8. 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.
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