Mount Head (Alberta)

Mount Head
West aspect at sunset
Highest point
Elevation2,782 m (9,127 ft)[1]
Prominence403 m (1,322 ft)[2]
Parent peakLineham Ridge[2]
Isolation10.94 km (6.80 mi)[2]
ListingMountains of Alberta
Coordinates50°26′25″N 114°39′00″W / 50.44028°N 114.65000°W / 50.44028; -114.65000[3]
Naming
EtymologyEdmund Walker Head
Geography
Mount Head is located in Alberta
Mount Head
Mount Head
Location in Alberta
Mount Head is located in Canada
Mount Head
Mount Head
Location in Canada
Map
Interactive map of Mount Head
CountryCanada
ProvinceAlberta
Protected areaDon Getty Wildland Provincial Park
Parent rangeHighwood Range
Canadian Rockies
Topo mapNTS 82J7 Mount Head[3]
Geology
Mountain typeFault block
Rock typeSedimentary rock
Climbing
First ascent1934 by Raymond M. Patterson
Easiest routeScrambling[4]

Mount Head is a 2,782-metre (9,127-foot) mountain summit located in Alberta, Canada.

Description

Mount Head is situated 83 km (52 mi) southwest of Calgary near the southern end of the Highwood Range which is a subrange of the Canadian Rockies.[5] The peak is set 14 km (8.7 mi) east of the Continental Divide, in Don Getty Wildland Provincial Park. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the Highwood River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 1,200 meters (3,937 ft) above the Highwood Valley in 5 km (3.1 mi). The mountain can be seen from Highway 40 and Highway 541.[6]

History

The mountain was named in 1859 by John Palliser to honor Edmund Walker Head (1805–1868), the Governor General of the Province of Canada who had provided support for the Palliser expedition.[1] The mountain's toponym was officially adopted March 31, 1924, by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.[3]

The first ascent of the summit was made in 1934 by Raymond M. Patterson.[6] The peak immediately northwest of Mt. Head on the opposite side of Head Creek is officially named "Patterson's Peak" in his honor.[7]

Geology

Mount Head was created during the Lewis Overthrust. The peak is underlain by folded and thrust-faulted sedimentary rock laid down during the Mesozoic and Paleozoic eras. Formed in shallow seas, this sedimentary rock was pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny.[8] The Mount Head Formation formed during the Viséan age.

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Mount Head is located in a subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.[9] Winter temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. The months June through September offer the most favorable weather to climb or view Mount Head.

  • West aspect
    West aspect
  • West aspect
    West aspect
  • Southeast aspect
    Southeast aspect
  • Mt. Head (left) with Holy Cross Mountain (right) from Highwood Valley
    Mt. Head (left) with Holy Cross Mountain (right) from Highwood Valley

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Glen W. Boles, William Lowell Putnam, Roger W. Laurilla (2006), Canadian Mountain Place Names: The Rockies and Columbia Mountains, Rocky Mountain Books, ISBN 9781894765794, p. 120
  2. ^ a b c "Mount Head, Peakvisor.com". Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "Mount Head". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  4. ^ Andrew Nugara (2014), More Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies, Rocky Mountain Books, ISBN 9781771600163, p. 204
  5. ^ Dave Birrell, Ron Ellis (2000), Calgary's Mountain Panorama, Rocky Mountain Books, ISBN 9780921102120, p. 20
  6. ^ a b "Mount Head". cdnrockiesdatabases.ca. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  7. ^ David Finch (2011), R.M. Patterson: A Life of Great Adventure, Touchwood Editions, ISBN 9781926971292]
  8. ^ Gadd, Ben (2008). Geology of the Rocky Mountains and Columbias.
  9. ^ 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.