Watermelon Peak

Watermelon Peak is a 3,094-metre (10,151-foot) summit located in Banff National Park, in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada. Its nearest higher peak is Deluc Peak, 13.5 km (8.4 mi) to the east.[1]

Watermelon Peak
Watermelon Peak seen from Molar Pass with summit to right of center and outlier S2 to left
Highest point
Elevation3,094 m (10,151 ft) [1]
Prominence674 m (2,211 ft) [1]
Parent peakDeluc Peak (3182 m)[1]
ListingMountains of Alberta
Coordinates51°42′56″N 116°20′35″W [1]
Geography
Watermelon Peak
Location of Watermelon Peak in Alberta
Watermelon Peak
Watermelon Peak (Canada)
LocationBanff National Park
Alberta, Canada
Parent rangeCanadian Rockies
Topo mapNTS 82N09
Geology
Age of rockCambrian
Climbing
First ascent1966 D. Michael, W.V.G. Matthews, W.L. Putnam, M. Stearns, L.R. Wallace[2]
Easiest routeScrambling YDS 3[3]

History

Watermelon Peak was named in 1966 by William L. Putnam, member of the first ascent party which carried a four kilogram watermelon to the summit, and consumed it there.[4] The July 1966 first ascent party included David Michael, W.V.G. Matthews, William L. Putnam, M. Stearns, and L.R. Wallace.[2]

Geology

Like other mountains in Banff Park, Watermelon Peak is composed of sedimentary rock laid down during the Precambrian to Jurassic periods.[5] Formed in shallow seas, this sedimentary rock was pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny.[6]

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Watermelon Peak 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. Precipitation runoff from Watermelon Peak drains into the Bow River and Siffleur River which are both tributaries of the Saskatchewan River.

References
  1. "Watermelon Peak". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
  2. "Watermelon Peak". PeakFinder.com. Retrieved 2019-09-08.
  3. "Watermelon Peak". explor8ion.com. Retrieved 2019-09-08.
  4. Boles, Glen W.; Putnam, William Lowell; Laurilla, Roger W. Canadian Mountain Place Names: The Rockies and Columbia Mountains. Rocky Mountain Books. pp. 265-266. ISBN 9781894765794.
  5. 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.
  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.

See also
Watermelon Peak's southern outlier, S2 (2929 m), seen from Icefields Parkway
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.