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Mount Selkirk
Mount Selkirk seen from Kootenay Valley.jpg
Mount Selkirk seen from Kootenay Valley Overlook along Highway 93
Highest point
Elevation 2,930 m (9,610 ft)
Prominence 320 m (1,050 ft)
Parent peak Catlin Peak (2941 m)
Geography
Mount Selkirk is located in British Columbia
Mount Selkirk
Mount Selkirk
Location in British Columbia
Mount Selkirk is located in Canada
Mount Selkirk
Mount Selkirk
Location in Canada
Location Kootenay National Park
British Columbia, Canada
Parent range Mitchell Range
Canadian Rockies
Topo map NTS 82J13
Geology
Age of rock Cambrian
Type of rock Limestone
Mount Selkirk
Mount Selkirk

Mount Selkirk is a tall mountain in British Columbia, Canada. It stands about 2,930 meters (9,613 feet) high. You can find it in the Vermilion River Valley. This mountain is right on the edge of Kootenay National Park. Many visitors to the park can see Mount Selkirk from Highway 93. This road is also called the Banff–Windermere Highway. Mount Selkirk is part of the Mitchell Range. This range is a smaller part of the huge Canadian Rockies. The mountain's closest taller neighbor is Catlin Peak, about 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) away.

Mountain's Name and History

Mount Selkirk got its name in 1886. George Mercer Dawson named it after Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk. He was a Scottish man who helped people move to Canada. He supported new settlements in what is now Manitoba. The official name for the mountain was accepted in 1924. This was done by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.

What Mount Selkirk is Made Of: Geology

Mount Selkirk is mostly made of a type of rock called Ottertail limestone. This rock formed a very long time ago. It was laid down during the Precambrian and Cambrian periods. Later, during an event called the Laramide orogeny, these rocks were pushed up. They moved east and even slid over younger rocks.

Weather Around Mount Selkirk: Climate

Mount Selkirk is in a subarctic climate zone. This means it has very cold and snowy winters. The summers are usually mild. Temperatures can drop below -20 °C (-4 °F). With wind, it can feel even colder, below -30 °C (-22 °F). Rain and melting snow from the mountain flow into streams. These streams eventually join the Vermilion River.

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