Commonwealth Peak

Commonwealth Peak
Commonwealth Peak
Highest point
Elevation	2,775 m (9,104 ft)
Prominence	215 m (705 ft)
Parent peak	Mount Birdwood (3097 m)
Listing	Mountains of Alberta
Coordinates	50°47′25″N 115°20′55″W / 50.79028°N 115.34861°W
Geography
	Commonwealth Peak Location of Commonwealth Peak in Alberta Commonwealth Peak Commonwealth Peak (Canada)
Location	Alberta, Canada
Parent range	Spray Mountains; Canadian Rockies
Topo map	NTS 82J14 Spray Lakes Reservoir
Geology
Age of rock	Cambrian
Type of rock	Limestone
Climbing
First ascent	1970 Charlie Locke, Lloyd McKay
Easiest route	Scrambling

Commonwealth Peak is a 2,775-metre (9,104-foot) mountain summit in the Spray Mountains, a sub-range of the Canadian Rockies in Alberta, Canada.^[2] The mountain is situated in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. Its nearest higher peak is Mount Birdwood, 1.0 km (0.62 mi) to the west.^[1] Both can be seen from Alberta Highway 742, also known as Smith-Dorrien/Spray Trail in Kananaskis Country.

History

Commonwealth Peak was named in 1979 to commemorate the 1978 Commonwealth Games that were held in Edmonton, Alberta.^[1]

The mountain's name was officially adopted in 1979 by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.^[2]

The first ascent of the peak was made in 1970 by Charlie Locke and Lloyd McKay.^[1]

Geology

Commonwealth 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 rock during the Laramide orogeny.^[4]

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Commonwealth Peak is located in a subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.^[5] Temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. In terms of favorable weather, July through September are the best months to climb.^[3]

Gallery

Commonwealth Peak centered, Mt. Birdwood to right in clouds
Mt. Birdwood (left), Commonwealth Peak to right
South aspect, from Burstall Pass Trail

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Commonwealth Peak". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2019-01-08.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Commonwealth Peak". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2019-01-08.
^ ^a ^b Kane, Alan (1999). "Commonwealth Peak". Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies. Rocky Mountain Books. p. 130. ISBN 0-921102-67-4.
^ Gadd, Ben (2008), Geology of the Rocky Mountains and Columbias
^ 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.

External links

Weather: Commonwealth Peak
Commonwealth Peak: Flickr photo

[bivouac-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Commonwealth Peak". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2019-01-08.

[cgndb-2] "Commonwealth Peak". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2019-01-08.

[kane-3] Kane, Alan (1999). "Commonwealth Peak". Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies. Rocky Mountain Books. p. 130. ISBN 0-921102-67-4.

[gadd-4] Gadd, Ben (2008), Geology of the Rocky Mountains and Columbias

[Peel-5] 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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