Mount Shanks

Mount Shanks is a mountain summit located in British Columbia, Canada.

Description

Mount Shanks is situated west of the Continental Divide on the boundary that Kootenay National Park shares with Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park. The peak is part of the Ball Range which is a sub-range of the Canadian Rockies. Precipitation runoff from the peak's north and east slopes flows into tributaries of the Simpson River, whereas the west slope drains into the Vermilion River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 1,600 metres above the Vermilion River in and 1,340 metres above the Simpson River in.

History

This landform's original local name was "Folding Mountain" until the mountain was renamed in 1927 by Dominion Land Survey staff in honor of their colleague, the late Thomas Shanks, Assistant Director General of Surveys of Canada. The mountain's toponym was officially adopted on July 31, 1927, by the Geographical Names Board of Canada. The mountain was first climbed in September 1976 by P. Spear and R. Workum.

Geology

Mount Shanks 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.

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Mount Shanks is located in a subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers. Winter temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C.