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Canadian Rockies

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The Canadian Rockies ( French : Rocheuses canadiennes ) or Canadian Rocky Mountains , comprising both the Alberta Rockies and the British Columbian Rockies, is the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains . It is the easternmost part of the Canadian Cordillera , which is the northern segment of the North American Cordillera , the expansive system of interconnected mountain ranges between the Interior Plains and the Pacific Coast that runs northwest–southeast from central Alaska to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Mexico .

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33-855: Canada officially defines the Rocky Mountains system as the mountain chains east of the Rocky Mountain Trench extending from the Liard River valley in northern British Columbia to the Albuquerque Basin in New Mexico , not including the Mackenzie , Richardson and British Mountains / Brooks Range in Yukon and Alaska (which are all included as the "Arctic Rockies" in the United States ' definition of

66-589: A common geological age, but may consist of various types of rock . For example, in the Central Alps, granitic rocks, gneisses and metamorphic slate are found, while to the north and south, are the Limestone Alps . The Northern Limestone Alps are, in turn, followed by soft flysch mountains and the molasse zone. The type of rock influences the appearance of the mountain ranges very markedly, because erosion leads to very different topography depending on

99-469: A difficult railway construction process. The following articles describe in detail the political and technical feats involved: Mountain chain A mountain chain is a row of high mountain summits , a linear sequence of interconnected or related mountains, or a contiguous ridge of mountains within a larger mountain range . The term is also used for elongated fold mountains with several parallel chains ("chain mountains"). While in mountain ranges,

132-467: A less robust structure, that are deposited in the synclines . As a result of orogenic movements, strata of folded rock are formed that are crumpled out of their original horizontal plane and thrust against one another. The longitudinal stretching of the folds takes place at right angles to the direction of the lateral thrusting. The overthrust folds of a nappe belt (e.g. the Central Alps ) are formed in

165-586: A similar way. Although the fold mountains, chain mountains and nappe belts around the world were formed at different times in the Earth's history, all during their initial mountain building phases, they are nevertheless morphologically similar. Harder rock forms continuous arêtes or ridges that follow the strike of the beds and folds. The mountain chains or ridges therefore run approximately parallel to one another. They are only interrupted by short, usually narrow, transverse valleys , which often form water gaps . During

198-477: A truncated upland is eroded into a high table land , the incision of valleys can lead to the formations of mountain or hill chains. The chain-like arrangement of summits and the formation of long, jagged mountain crests – known in Spanish as sierras ("saws") – is a consequence of their collective formation by mountain building forces . The often linear structure is linked to the direction of these thrust forces and

231-790: Is further subdivided into the Muskwa and Hart Ranges ) and Continental Ranges , separated by the McGregor River valley, the McGregor Pass and the Kakwa River valley. The southern end of the Canadian Rockies extends into the U.S. state of Montana at various sites such as the Wilson Range , Upper Waterton Lake , Boundary Creek , Cameron Lake , Forum Peak , Long Knife Peak , North Fork Flathead River and Frozen Lake . In geographic terms,

264-596: Is much lower in the Canadian Rockies than in the American Rockies. Five national parks are located within the Canadian Rockies, four of which are adjacent and make up the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks . These four parks are Banff , Jasper , Kootenay and Yoho . The fifth national park, Waterton Lakes , is not adjacent to the others. Waterton Lakes lies farther south, straddling the Canada–US border as

297-744: Is the eastern part of the Pacific Ring of Fire that runs all the way around the Pacific Ocean . The Canadian Rockies are bounded on the east by the Canadian Prairies, on the west by the Rocky Mountain Trench, and on the north by the Liard River. Contrary to popular misconception, the Rockies do not extend north into Yukon or Alaska, or west into central British Columbia. North of the Liard River,

330-556: Is the second-highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, and is the highest mountain in Alberta. Snow Dome (3,456 m; 11,339 ft) is one of two hydrological apexes of North America. Water flows off Snow Dome into three different watersheds, into the Pacific Ocean, Arctic Ocean , and Atlantic Ocean via Hudson Bay . The Canadian Rockies are not the highest mountain ranges in Canada. Both

363-643: The Mackenzie Mountains , which are a distinct mountain range, form a portion of the border between the Yukon and the Northwest Territories . The mountain ranges to the west of the Rocky Mountain Trench in southern British Columbia are called the Columbia Mountains , and are not considered to be part of the Rockies by Canadian geologists. Mount Robson (3,954 metres; 12,972 feet) is the highest peak in

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396-532: The North American Plate . The Yakutat microplate is a wedge shaped oceanic plateau with a thickness of 20 to 30 kilometres (12 to 19 mi). Similar to the adjacent Pacific Plate , which has a crustal thickness of 7 kilometres (4.3 mi), the Yakutat plate is moving northwestward at a rate of 50 millimetres (2 in) per year with respect to North America. The Yakutat plate is transported northwards along

429-578: The Northern Rockies which comprise two main groupings, the Hart Ranges and the Muskwa Ranges . The division-point of the two main groupings is at Monkman Pass northwest of Mount Robson and to the southwest of Mount Ovington . The Canadian Rockies are noted for being the source of several major river systems, and also for the many rivers within the range itself. The Rockies form the divide between

462-489: The hardness of the rock and its petrological structure. In addition to height and climate, other factors are the layering of the rock, its gradient and aspect , the types of waterbody and the lines of dislocation . For hard rock massifs, rugged rock faces (e.g. in the Dolomites ) and mighty scree slopes are typical. By contrast, flysch or slate forms gentler mountain shapes and kuppen or domed mountaintops, because

495-563: The American Rockies are made mostly of metamorphic and igneous rock such as gneiss and granite . The Canadian Rockies are overall more jagged than the American Rockies, because the Canadian Rockies have been more heavily glaciated , resulting in sharply pointed mountains separated by wide, U-shaped valleys gouged by glaciers, whereas the American Rockies are overall more rounded, with river-carved V-shaped valleys between them. The Canadian Rockies are cooler and wetter, giving them moister soil, bigger rivers, and more glaciers. The tree line

528-658: The Canadian Rockies, but not the highest in British Columbia, since there are some higher mountains in the Coast Mountains and Saint Elias Mountains . Mount Robson lies on the continental divide near Yellowhead Pass , one of the lowest passes in the Canadian Rockies, and is close to the Yellowhead Highway . Its base is 985 m (3,232 ft) above sea level, with a total vertical relief of 2,969 m (9,741 ft). Mount Columbia (3,747 m; 12,293 ft)

561-535: The Canadian part of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park . The four adjacent parks, combined with three British Columbia provincial parks, were declared a single UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984 for the unique mountain landscapes found there. Numerous provincial parks are located in the Canadian Rockies, including Hamber , Mount Assiniboine and Mount Robson parks. Throughout

594-823: The North American plate. The highest peaks of the St. Elias Mountains are located in the high ice field region of the Kluane National Park ( Mount Logan , Mount Vancouver ) and north of the Malaspina Glacier ( Mount Saint Elias , Mount Cook ), in the region known as the St. Elias syntaxis . At the syntaxis region the tectonic style changes from strike-slip motion along the Fairweather Fault to collision west of Malaspina Strait . This tectonic transition concentrates stress in

627-678: The Pacific Ocean drainage on the west and that of Hudson Bay and the Arctic Ocean on the east. Of the range's rivers, only the Peace River penetrates the range. Notable rivers originating in the Canadian Rockies include the Fraser , Columbia , North Saskatchewan , Bow and Athabasca Rivers . The Canadian Rockies are quite different in appearance and geology from the American Rockies to the south of them. The Canadian Rockies are composed of layered sedimentary rock such as limestone and shale , whereas

660-473: The Rockies, and especially in the national parks, the Alpine Club of Canada maintains a series of alpine huts for use by mountaineers and adventurers. The Canadian Pacific Railway was founded to provide a link from the province of British Columbia to the eastern provinces. The main difficulty in providing such a link were the Rockies themselves: treacherous mountain passes, fast rivers and sheer drops made for

693-644: The Rocky Mountains system). The Canadian Rockies, being the northern segment of this chain, is thus defined as comprising the central-eastern section of the North American Cordillera, between the Prairies of Alberta and the Liard Plain of northeastern British Columbia to the east and the Interior Mountains / Plateau and Columbia Mountains to the west. It is divided into the Northern Rockies (which

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726-731: The Saint Elias Mountains (highest point in Canada Mount Logan at 5,959 m; 19,551 ft) and the Coast Mountains (highest point Mount Waddington at 4,016 m; 13,176 ft) have higher summits. The Canadian Rockies are subdivided into numerous mountain ranges , structured in two main groupings, the Continental Ranges , which has three main subdivisions, the Front Range , Park Ranges and Kootenay Ranges , and

759-432: The Yakutat and North American plates. The up-to-12-kilometre (7.5 mi)-thick sediments that have been deposited on top of the Yakutat plate became imbricated and deformed as they were scraped off and compose today the southern (coastal) flanks of the St. Elias Mountains. In contrast the high elevated regions of the drainage divide ( Bagley Icefield , Seward Glacier ) and north of it are composed of rocks that are part of

792-592: The active Fairweather Fault , which probably started more than 35 million years ago. Due to its thickness, the Yakutat plate is buoyant, resulting in surface uplift of the overriding North American plate, which formed the Talkeetna Mountains and the Alaska Range in Southcentral Alaska , located above the subducted part of the Yakutat plate. The Saint Elias Mountains formed at the plate boundary between

825-465: The boundary is at the Canada–United States border on 49th parallel north , but in geological terms it might be considered to be at Marias Pass in northern Montana. The Canadian Rockies have numerous high peaks and ranges, such as Mount Robson (3,954 metres; 12,972 feet) and Mount Columbia (3,747 m; 12,293 ft). The Canadian Rockies are composed of shale and limestone . Much of

858-404: The course of Earth history, erosion by water, ice and wind carried away the highest points of the mountain crests and carved out individual summits or summit chains . Between them, notches were formed that, depending on altitude and rock-type, form knife-edged cols or gentler mountain passes and saddles . Nappe or fold mountains, with their roughly parallel mountain chains, generally have

891-471: The crust at the syntaxis that together with efficient glacial erosion results in positive feedback processes that through time forms extreme high mountain peaks and local relief, and rapid exhumation of rocks from up to 10 km (6.2 mi) depths to the surface. The mountains are divided by the Duke Depression, with the shorter, more rounded Kluane Ranges to the east, and the higher Icefield Ranges to

924-453: The formation of parallel chains of mountains. The tendency, especially of fold mountains (e. g. the Cordilleras ) to produce roughly parallel chains is due to their rock structure and the propulsive forces of plate tectonics . The uplifted rock masses are either magmatic plutonic rocks , easily shaped because of their higher temperature, or sediments or metamorphic rocks , which have

957-577: The range includes parts of the city/borough of Yakutat and the Hoonah-Angoon and Valdez-Cordova census areas. This mountain range is named after Mount Saint Elias , which in turn was named in 1741 by the Danish-born Russian explorer Vitus Bering . The Saint Elias Mountains form the highest coastal mountain range on Earth. It formed due to the subduction of the Yakutat microplate underneath

990-573: The range is protected by national and provincial parks, several of which collectively comprise a World Heritage Site . The Canadian Rockies are the easternmost part of the Canadian Cordillera , the collective name for the mountains of Western Canada . They form part of the American Cordillera , an essentially continuous sequence of mountain ranges that runs all the way from Alaska to the very tip of South America. The Cordillera, in turn,

1023-459: The resulting mountain folding which in turn relates to the fault lines in the upper part of the Earth's crust , that run between the individual mountain chains. In these fault zones , the rock, which has sometimes been pulverised, is easily eroded, so that large river valleys are carved out. These, so called longitudinal valleys reinforce the trend, during the early mountain building phase, towards

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1056-751: The rock is not porous, but easily shaped. Saint Elias Mountains The Saint Elias Mountains ( French : Chaîne Saint-Élie ) are a subgroup of the Pacific Coast Ranges , located in southeastern Alaska in the United States , Southwestern Yukon and the very far northwestern part of British Columbia in Canada . The range spans Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in the United States and Kluane National Park and Reserve in Canada and includes all of Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska . In Alaska,

1089-479: The term mountain chain is common, in hill ranges a sequence of hills tends to be referred to a ridge or hill chain . Elongated mountain chains occur most frequently in the orogeny of fold mountains, (that are folded by lateral pressure), and nappe belts (where a sheetlike body of rock has been pushed over another rock mass). Other types of range such as horst ranges , fault block mountain or truncated uplands rarely form parallel mountain chains. However, if

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