Survey Peak (Alberta)

Survey Peak is a 2,667-metre (8,750-foot) mountain summit in Alberta, Canada.

Survey Peak
East aspect, centered, from Icefields Parkway
Highest point
Elevation2,667 m (8,750 ft)[1][2]
Prominence259 m (850 ft)[3]
Parent peakMount Forbes (3,612 m)[4]
Isolation2.33 km (1.45 mi)[3]
ListingMountains of Alberta
Coordinates51°57′16″N 116°51′01″W[5]
Geography
Survey Peak is located in Alberta
Survey Peak
Survey Peak
Location of Survey Peak in Alberta
Survey Peak is located in Canada
Survey Peak
Survey Peak
Survey Peak (Canada)
CountryCanada
ProvinceAlberta
Protected areaBanff National Park
Parent rangeLyell Group[3]
Canadian Rockies
Topo mapNTS 82N15 Mistaya Lake[5]
Geology
Age of rockCambrian
Type of rockSedimentary
Climbing
First ascentAugust 1898[2][6]

Description

Survey Peak is located in the Canadian Rockies of Banff National Park. It is situated at the intersection of the North Saskatchewan River valley and Howse River valley. Topographic relief is modest as the summit rises 1,200 metres (3,937 ft) above Glacier Lake in 3 km (1.9 mi). The nearest higher named peak is Mount Erasmus, 4 km (2.5 mi) to the west.[3] Survey Peak can be seen from the Icefields Parkway west of Saskatchewan Crossing. An ascent of the peak involves 1,400 metres of elevation gain covering 16 km round-trip distance, part of which is on the Glacier Lake Trail.[7]

History

The first ascent of the summit was made in August 1898 by J. Norman Collie and Hugh E.M. Stutfield.[2] Collie so named the peak after conducting a plane table survey from the summit.[1] The mountain's toponym was officially adopted on March 31, 1924, by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.[5] A large forest fire in 1940 burned the slopes of Survey Peak, which can now be seen as two differently colored forests.[8][2]

Geology

Like other mountains in Banff Park, Survey Peak is composed of sedimentary rock laid down from the Precambrian to Jurassic periods.[9] Formed in shallow seas, this sedimentary rock was pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny.[10] The Survey Peak Formation is named after this peak.

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Survey Peak is located in a subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.[11] Winter temperatures can drop below -20 °C with wind chill factors below -30 °C. Summer months offer the most favorable weather for climbing the peak, however snowshoeing in the spring is an option, albeit one with avalanche risk.[7]

See also

References
  1. Glen W. Boles, William Lowell Putnam, Roger W. Laurilla (2006), "Canadian Mountain Place Names", Rocky Mountain Books, ISBN 9781894765794, p. 244.
  2. "Survey Peak". cdnrockiesdatabases.ca. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  3. "Survey Peak, Alberta". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  4. "Survey Peak, Peakvisor.com". Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  5. "Survey Peak". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  6. Sessional Papers of the Dominion of Canada (1922), Canada Parliament, p. 31
  7. Andrew Nugara (2011), Snowshoeing in the Canadian Rockies, Rocky Mountain Books, ISBN 9781926855769
  8. Brian Patton, Bart Robinson (2007), Canadian Rockies Trail Guide, Summerthought Publishing, ISBN 9780978237509, p. 136.
  9. 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.
  10. Gadd, Ben (2008). Geology of the Rocky Mountains and Columbias.
  11. 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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