Flute Summit (British Columbia) facts for kids

Flute Summit is a cool, flat-topped mountain peak in British Columbia, Canada. It's part of the Fitzsimmons Range, which is a section of the larger Garibaldi Ranges. You can find it near Whistler, a popular town, and it overlooks Cheakamus Lake. Flute Summit is also part of a fun group of peaks known as the "Musical Bumps."

How Flute Summit Was Formed

Scientists have studied Flute Summit to understand its unique history. In 2004, a volcanologist named Jack Souther figured out that Flute Summit is actually the exposed "heart" of an ancient volcano. This means it's made of rock that hardened deep inside a volcano, not from lava that flowed out onto the surface.

The Ancient Volcano's Story

About 100 million years ago, during a time called the Late Cretaceous period, there were active volcanoes in this area. Nearby mountains like Whistler Mountain and Piccolo Summit are made from lava that erupted from these volcanoes.

Flute Summit, however, is different. It's made of a type of rock called igneous rock. This rock formed when hot, melted rock (magma) cooled and became solid inside the volcano. Think of it like a giant underground rock formation.

Why Flute Summit Looks Different

When magma cools slowly underground, the tiny mineral pieces inside it have more time to grow. This makes the rock look coarser, meaning you can see the individual grains more easily.

As this underground magma cooled, it also heated up the water around it. This created a "hydrothermal system." Imagine hot springs deep underground! This system helped form special quartz veins, which are like mineral lines in the rock.

Also, gases from the magma mixed with the rocks. This caused a chemical change that gave Flute Summit its reddish color. It's like the mountain got a natural dye job over millions of years!