Chinook Peak (Alberta) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chinook Peak
Chinook Peak, northeast aspect
Highest point
Elevation	2,591 m (8,501 ft)
Prominence	246 m (807 ft)
Parent peak	Andy Good Peak (2,621 m)
Listing	Mountains of Alberta
Naming
Etymology	Chinook wind
Geography
Chinook Peak Location in Alberta Show map of Alberta Chinook Peak Location in Canada Show map of Canada
Location	Castle Wildland Provincial Park Alberta, Canada
Parent range	Flathead Range Canadian Rockies
Topo map	NTS 82G10 Alberta
Geology
Mountain type	Fault block
Type of rock	Limestone
Climbing
Easiest route	Scrambling

Chinook Peak is a 2,591-metre (8,501-foot) mountain summit located in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada.

Description

Chinook Peak is situated 10 kilometers southwest of the town of Coleman in the Crowsnest Pass area and can be seen from Highway 3, the Crowsnest Highway. It is set on land managed by Castle Wildland Provincial Park. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the nearby Crowsnest River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 1,300 meters (4,265 feet) above the river in 4.5 kilometers (2.8 miles). Sentry Mountain is 4.0 km (2.5 mi) to the northwest and the nearest higher neighbor is Andy Good Peak, 3.0 km (1.9 mi) to the southeast on the Continental Divide.

History

Chinook Peak was named by Jim Kerr, a resident of the Crowsnest Pass. Jim knew that when snow started blowing from the top from the west, a chinook wind would soon follow. When mapping this area, Dr. Raymond A. Price of the Geological Survey of Canada mapping this area, used this name to identify the peak. The mountain's toponym was officially adopted in 1962 by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.

Geology

Chinook Peak 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 Cretaceous period rock during the Laramide orogeny.

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Chinook Peak has an alpine subarctic climate with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers. Temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C.

Gallery

See also

• Geology of Alberta