Silvertip Mountain

Silvertip Mountain is an 2,596 m (8,517 ft) peak in the Canadian Cascades south of Hope, British Columbia (BC). It lies on the northern boundary of Skagit Valley Provincial Park. With a prominence of 1,871 m (6,138 ft), it is one of the fifty most prominent peaks in Canada.[1] The mountain's name was officially adopted on December 2, 1948, by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.[3] The peak was first climbed in 1908 by a Boundary Survey party.[2]

Silvertip Mountain
Highest point
Elevation2,596 m (8,517 ft) [1]
Prominence1,871 m (6,138 ft) [1]
Parent peakRobinson Mountain[2]
Listing
Coordinates49°09′47″N 121°12′58″W [3]
Geography
Silvertip Mountain
Silvertip Mountain
Silvertip Mountain (Canada)
Parent rangeCanadian Cascades
Topo mapSkagit River 92 H/3
Climbing
First ascent1908 Boundary Survey party
Easiest routeWest Ridge[2]

Geology

Silvertip Mountain is related to the Chilliwack batholith, which intruded the region 26 to 29 million years ago after the major orogenic episodes in the region. This is part of the Pemberton Volcanic Belt, an eroded volcanic belt that formed as a result of subduction of the Farallon Plate starting 29 million years ago.[4][5][6]

During the Pleistocene period dating back over two million years ago, glaciation advancing and retreating repeatedly scoured the landscape leaving deposits of rock debris.[7] The "U"-shaped cross section of the river valleys are a result of recent glaciation. Uplift and faulting in combination with glaciation have been the dominant processes which have created the tall peaks and deep valleys of the North Cascades area.

The North Cascades features some of the most rugged topography in the Cascade Range with craggy peaks and ridges, deep glacial valleys, and granite spires. Geological events occurring many years ago created the diverse topography and drastic elevation changes over the Cascade Range leading to various climate differences which lead to vegetation variety defining the ecoregions in this area.

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Silvertip is located in the marine west coast climate zone of western North America.[8] Most weather fronts originate in the Pacific Ocean, and travel east toward the Cascade Range where they are forced upward by the range (Orographic lift), causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall. As a result, the Cascade Mountains experience high precipitation, especially during the winter months in the form of snowfall. Temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. The months July through September offer the most favorable weather for climbing Silvertip.

See also

References
  1. "British Columbia and Alberta: The Ultra-Prominence Page". Peaklist.org. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
  2. "Silvertip Mountain". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2019-11-23.
  3. "Silvertip Mountain". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2019-11-23.
  4. Cenozoic to Recent plate configurations in the Pacific Basin: Ridge subduction and slab window magmatism in western North America
  5. Miocene peralkaline volcanism in west-central British Columbia - Its temporal and plate-tectonics setting
  6. Catalogue of Canadian volcanoes: Franklin Glacier Archived 2010-12-11 at the Wayback Machine
  7. Kruckeberg, Arthur (1991). The Natural History of Puget Sound Country. University of Washington Press.
  8. Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11. ISSN 1027-5606.
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