Mount James Walker is a 3,035-metre (9,957-foot) mountain summit located in Kananaskis Country in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada. Mount James Walker is situated within Spray Valley Provincial Park, and its nearest higher peak is Mount Galatea, 5.0 km (3.1 mi) to the northwest.[1]

Mount James Walker
Mount James Walker seen from the north
Highest point
Elevation3,035 m (9,957 ft)[1]
Prominence322 m (1,056 ft)[1]
Parent peakMount Galatea (3185 m)[1]
ListingMountains of Alberta
Coordinates50°48′17″N 115°13′13″W / 50.80472°N 115.22028°W / 50.80472; -115.22028[2]
Geography
Mount James Walker is located in Alberta
Mount James Walker
Mount James Walker
Location in Alberta
Mount James Walker is located in Canada
Mount James Walker
Mount James Walker
Mount James Walker (Canada)
CountryCanada
ProvinceAlberta
Protected areaSpray Valley Provincial Park
Parent rangeKananaskis Range
Canadian Rockies
Topo mapNTS 82J14 Spray Lakes Reservoir[2]
Geology
Age of rockCambrian
Type of rocksedimentary rock

History edit

The mountain was named in 1959 after Colonel James Walker (1846-1936), who was a Mountie, soldier, businessman, and postmaster of the Kananaskis Post Office.[1] He was named Calgary's "Citizen of the Century" during the city's centennial year in 1975.[3]

The mountain's name became official in 1977 by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.[2]

Geology edit

Mount James Walker 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] The Lewis Overthrust extends over 450 km from Mount James Walker south to Steamboat Mountain, located west of Great Falls, Montana.[5] Nearby Mount Kidd marks the northern end of the Lewis Thrust Fault.

Climate edit

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Mount James Walker is located in a subarctic climate with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.[6] Temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into the Kananaskis River which is a tributary of the Bow River, and thence the Saskatchewan River.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e "Mount James Walker". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2018-12-04.
  2. ^ a b c "Mount James Walker". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2018-12-04.
  3. ^ "Mount James Walker". cdnrockiesdatabases.ca. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
  4. ^ Gadd, Ben (2008), Geology of the Rocky Mountains and Columbias
  5. ^ Feinstein, Shimon; Kohn, Barry; Osadetz, Kirk; Price, Raymond A. (2007-01-01). "Thermochronometric reconstruction of the prethrust paleogeothermal gradient and initial thickness of the Lewis thrust sheet, southeastern Canadian Cordillera foreland belt". Geological Society of America Special Papers. 433: 167–182. doi:10.1130/2007.2433(08). ISBN 978-0-8137-2433-1. ISSN 0072-1077.
  6. ^ 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