Mount Harkin is a 2,979-metre (9,774-foot) mountain summit located in the Kootenay River Valley along the eastern border of Kootenay National Park. Park visitors can see the peak from Highway 93, also known as the Banff–Windermere Highway. It is part of the Mitchell Range, which is a sub-range of the Canadian Rockies of British Columbia, Canada. Its nearest higher peak is Mount Assiniboine, 14.0 km (8.7 mi) to the northeast.[1]

Mount Harkin
Mount Harkin seen from Kootenay Valley Overlook along Highway 93
Highest point
Elevation2,979 m (9,774 ft)[1]
Prominence774 m (2,539 ft)[1]
Parent peakMount Assiniboine (3618 m)[1]
ListingMountains of British Columbia
Coordinates50°47′49″N 115°51′52″W / 50.79694°N 115.86444°W / 50.79694; -115.86444[2]
Geography
Mount Harkin is located in British Columbia
Mount Harkin
Mount Harkin
Location of Mount Harkin in British Columbia
Mount Harkin is located in Canada
Mount Harkin
Mount Harkin
Mount Harkin (Canada)
LocationKootenay National Park
British Columbia, Canada
DistrictKootenay Land District
Parent rangeMitchell Range
Canadian Rockies
Topo mapNTS 82J13 Mount Assiniboine
Geology
Age of rockCambrian[3]
Type of rockOttertail Limestone[4]


History edit

The mountain was named in 1923 by Morrison P. Bridgland in honor of James Bernard Harkin (1875–1955), who was Canada's first National Parks commissioner from 1911 until 1936.[5] Harkin established 11 new national parks and has been called the "Father of the National Parks of Canada."[6] The mountain's name was officially adopted in 1924 by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.[2] Bridgland (1878–1948) was a Dominion Land Surveyor who named many peaks in the Canadian Rockies.[7]

Geology edit

Mount Harkin is composed principally of Ottertail limestone, a sedimentary rock laid down during the Precambrian to Cambrian periods and pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny.[8]

Climate edit

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Mount Harkin 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. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains east into tributaries of the Cross River, or directly west to the Kootenay River.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d "Mount Harkin". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
  2. ^ a b "Mount Harkin". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
  3. ^ Baird, David M. (1964). Kootenay National Park: wild mountains and great valleys (PDF) (Report). Ottawa: Geological Survey of Canada. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  4. ^ Baird, p. 60
  5. ^ "Mount Harkin". cdnrockiesdatabases.ca. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  6. ^ "Mount Harkin". BC Geographical Names. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  7. ^ MacLaren, I.S. (2005). Mapper of Mountains M.P. Bridgland in the Canadian Rockies 1902-1930. With Eric Higgs, Gabrielle Zezulka-Mailloux. Edmonton, AB: The University of Alberta Press. ISBN 0-88864-456-6.
  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.

External links edit