Watermelon Peak

Watermelon Peak is a 3,095-metre (10,154-foot) summit located in Banff National Park, in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada. Its nearest higher peak is Deluc Peak, 13.5 km (8.4 mi) to the east.[2]

Watermelon Peak
Watermelon Peak seen from Molar Pass with summit to right of centre and outlier S2 to left
Highest point
Elevation3,095 m (10,154 ft)[1]
Prominence674 m (2,211 ft)[2]
Parent peakDeluc Peak (3182 m)[2]
ListingMountains of Alberta
Coordinates51°42′56″N 116°20′35″W[2]
Geography
Watermelon Peak is located in Alberta
Watermelon Peak
Watermelon Peak
Location of Watermelon Peak in Alberta
Watermelon Peak is located in Canada
Watermelon Peak
Watermelon Peak
Watermelon Peak (Canada)
CountryCanada
ProvinceAlberta
Protected areaBanff National Park
Parent rangeCanadian Rockies
Topo mapNTS 82N9 Hector Lake
Geology
Age of rockCambrian
Climbing
First ascent1966 D. Michael, W.V.G. Matthews, W.L. Putnam, M. Stearns, L.R. Wallace[3]
Easiest routeScrambling YDS 3[4]

History

Watermelon Peak was named in 1966 by William L. Putnam, member of the first ascent party, which carried a four-kilogram watermelon to the summit, and consumed it there.[5] The July 1966 first ascent party included David Michael, W.V.G. Matthews, William L. Putnam, M. Stearns, and L.R. Wallace.[3] However, the name is not officially recognized by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.[Notes 1]

Geology

Like other mountains in Banff Park, Watermelon Peak is composed of sedimentary rock laid down during the Precambrian to Jurassic periods.[6] Formed in shallow seas, this sedimentary rock was pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny.[7]

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Watermelon Peak is located in a subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.[8] Winter temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind-chill factors below −30 °C. Precipitation runoff from Watermelon Peak drains into the Bow River and Siffleur River which are both tributaries of the Saskatchewan River.

See also
  • Watermelon Peak's southern outlier, S2 (2929 m), seen from Icefields Parkway
    Watermelon Peak's southern outlier, S2 (2929 m), seen from Icefields Parkway
  • Southeast aspect of Watermelon S2 (right) and Dolomite Peak (left).
    Southeast aspect of Watermelon S2 (right) and Dolomite Peak (left).

References
  1. "Topographic map of Watermelon Peak". opentopomap.org. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
  2. "Watermelon Peak". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
  3. "Watermelon Peak". cdnrockiesdatabases.ca. Retrieved 2019-09-08.
  4. "Watermelon Peak". explor8ion.com. Retrieved 2019-09-08.
  5. Boles, Glen W.; Putnam, William Lowell; Laurilla, Roger W. Canadian Mountain Place Names: The Rockies and Columbia Mountains. Rocky Mountain Books. pp. 265-266. ISBN 9781894765794.
  6. Belyea, Helen R. (1960). The Story of the Mountains in Banff National Park (PDF). parkscanadahistory.com (Report). Ottawa: Geological Survey of Canada. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-10-02. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  7. Gadd, Ben (2008). Geology of the Rocky Mountains and Columbias.
  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: 1633–1644. ISSN 1027-5606.
Notes
  1. The peak is not listed in the Canadian Geographical Names Database.
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