Mount Assiniboine Earthcache EarthCache

Earthcache at one of the most picturesque mountain sceneries in Canadian Rockies.

MOUNT ASSINIBOINE is a world renowned mountain peak located on the Great Divide, on the British Columbia/Alberta border. At 3,616 m (11,864 ft), it is the highest peak in the Southern Continental Ranges of the Canadian Rockies. Due to impressive symmetrical shape, it has been often referred as the Canadian Matterhorn (Matterhorn of North America).

Introduction to Mount Assiniboine Earthcache

Some numbers

• Elevation 3,616 m (11,864 ft) above sea level (#6 in Alberta; #7 in Canadian Rockies)
• Prominence 2,086 m above Howse Pass (#2 in Alberta behind Mt. Columbia)
• Isolation 141 km with its line parent Mount Forbes being only approx. 1 meter higher
• Summit rises approx. 1,500 m (5,000 ft) above Lake Magog
• Assiniboine means “stone boiler” a name that comes from the Indian practice of putting hot rocks into animal paunches or holes filled with water in order to cook food

History

Late in the 19th century, George M. Dawson named Mt. Assiniboine in honor of the Assiniboine people. When he spotted this peak from distance, he recognized a plume of clouds trailing away from the top. This reminded him the plumes of smoke emanating from the teepees of Assiniboine Indians. On February 6, 1922, British Columbia set aside 5,120 hectares of the area as Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park, the seventh in a fledgling park system. In 1973, the park area was increased to its present size of 39,050 hectares. Since 1990 Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park is a part of Canadian Rocky Mountains UNESCO World Heritage site as magnificent place of shimmering alpine lakes, glaciers clad mountains, sky scraping peaks and alpine meadows filled with wildflowers and larch trees.

Because of a majestic pyramidal shape towering high above inspiring surroundings, Mount Assiniboine was considered a great prize among early mountaineers. James Outram and his Swiss guides Ch. Hasler and Ch. Bohren completed the first ascent in 1901. First solo ascent was managed by Lawrence Grassi in 1925.

Climbing

Ever since, Mt. Assiniboine is frequently visited, challenging and often compared up with Mt. Robson and even Mt. Alberta. No scrambling routes exist to reach the top. It is a serious peak requiring mountaineering skills. The base of all summit attempts is at Hind Hut, in glacier-made basin adjacent to north ridge of the peak. Hind Hut can be accessed from Lake Magog by climbing a steep headwall on narrow and exposed ledges (Gmoser’s Highway). The ascent routes up to the summit include:

• North Ridge (Normal Route) II 5.5 - the most common ascent and descent route. A classic high mountain ridge. Mostly a scramble up boulder-covered bedrock with short climbing sections. Very straightforward in dry conditions but much more difficult under snow cover.
• North Face II 5.5 - alternative route to the north ridge. Not very difficult.
• East Face, Cheesmond/Dick V 5.9 A2 - the hard route of the mountain, a member of the infamous "5.9 A2" class. Subject to intense rock fall, so cold temperatures seem to be a prerequisite. Unrepeated until 2004 when soloed by Frank Jourdan.
• East Buttress IV 5.7 - the first line on this mountain side. Most likely the route is rarely used even though the climbing isn’t too hard and the objective hazard is low. The original approach from Lake Gloria, the quickest a safest from Hind Hut.

Park Access

The access to the remote backcountry of Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park is restricted either to a full-day backpack hike or the use of commercial helicopter flight. In winter cross-country skiing access is possible. All services concerning a multi-day stay in Mt. Assiniboine core area like accommodation, guiding, flight reservations, etc. are managed by Assiniboine Lodge, built in 1928 as the first ski lodge in Canadian Rockies.

Most common hiking routes to the Mt. Assiniboine core area start from Mt. Shark parking lot (a helipad is also here) and in Sunshine Village, amongst others:

• from East: Mt. Shark parking lot via Bryant Creek and ascending either Assiniboine Pass (28 km; 500 m elevation gain) or Wonder Pass (27 km; 750 m)
• from Northwest: Sunshine Village (bus shuttle access) via Citadel Pass (29 km; 500 m)
• from West: Kootenay Park via Simpson River and Ferro Pass (32 km; 1250 m)
• from North: Banff via Brewster Creek and Allenby Pass (43 km; 1300 m)
• from South: Baymag Mine (4x4 access preferably) via Mitchell River (30km; 1100 m)

ROCKY MOUNTAINS GEOLOGY

The rocks in the Rocky Mountains were formed before the mountains were raised by tectonic forces. Canadian Rockies are composed almost exclusively of layered sedimentary rocks (limestone, dolomite, sandstone, shale, amongst others). Sedimentary rocks have a unique method of deposition – one layer on top of another - as the result from compression of the layered sediments on the bottom of a large shallow body of water during Paleozoic. Differences in parent material along with the effects of weathering, erosion or transportation have a large impact on the objective properties of created rocks. Seemingly simple horizontal layer arrangement can be extrapolated to assume that the rocks nearest the surface should always be younger than rocks deeper down. However, the original strata order is often difficult to determine. In the mountains, the organized layer arrangement has been later shattered. Older rocks were occasionally piled up on top of their younger neighbors. More or less the rock strata were bent, folded, cracked or eroded. Nevertheless, by knowing the rock formations, geologists can estimate the age of the rocks, anticipate how they will react to erosion, and get a better understanding of why the landscape looks the way it does.

ROCKS OF ROCKIES

Limestone

In the Canadian Rockies, limestone forms most of the resistant ridges and summits. Often interspersed with layers of shale and sandstone, limestone is more resistant to erosion. This leaves it forming the upper-most layer on most of the peaks.

Dolomite

Chemically it is calcium-magnesium carbonate and is generally caused by the substitution of some calcium for magnesium in limestone. In rare instances, it can directly precipitate from seawater. In general it’s harder than limestone and may replace it as some of our summit layers.

Sandstone

Sandstone is an easily identified rock made up of individual grains of sand cemented together by chemicals such as calcite, silica, or iron oxide. In the foothills, the ridge tops are generally made up of sandstones underlain by layers of shale. Sandstone can contain many minerals, but the most common, and the most durable, is silica. Pure silica sandstone has generally gone through several cycles of erosion and deposition.

Shale

Shale is the most common layered rock found around the globe. Often it forms thin beds of very fine grained, easily broken rock. Its grains are generally finer than 0.166 mm, making them impossible to distinguish with the naked eye. It is usually found beneath a protective layer of limestone in the Rockies. If the limestone summit eroded, the underlying shale beds would quickly follow. Shales contain many differing characteristics, and these reflect their origin. In shallow, still sea lagoons, dark shales, high in organic material form. On the other hand, tidal flats, stream channels, and flood plains often result in iron rich shales.

Argillite

Argillite is highly indurated mudstone. Although similar to shale, argillite is generally not fissile, i.e. does not preferentially break along closely spaced bedding planes. It differs from slate in its lack of foliation.

ROCKY MOUNTAINS BUILDING BY PLATE TECTONICS

At one time, all the continents on Earth were joined into one large land mass known as Pangea. Slowly, this supercontinent began to break apart and the continents began to drift. Inevitably, the plates eventually began to collide - with mountainous consequences. Periods of mountain building are known as orogenies and in Canadian Rockies two have been responsible for the mountains we see today. Prior to that, the North American Plate had been moving in a westerly direction and the neighbouring Pacific Plate northward. Off the coast, sediments were deposited upon a basement of hard Canadian Shield rocks. Moving into deeper and deeper waters, the layers of sedimentary rocks became increasingly deeper. Contained as part of the Pacific Plate were chains of islands that later became large land masses. There were two such land masses in the Pacific and they were known as Terranes (for simplicity let mark them as 1st and 2nd Terrane).
As the Pacific Plate moved north, the crust over which it moved was forced down by the North American Plate, back towards the Earth's core. As the plate closed in on the 1st Terrane, this land mass was too buoyant to be forced downward and so it was added onto the edge of the continent. Along with this collision about 175 million years ago came intense forces compressing the already existing land mass. This brought on the first orogeny, known as the Columbia Orogeny that formed the Columbia Mountains. As the shock wave slowly moved eastward, it forced huge masses of rock to crack and slide up over its neighbors. This is known as thrust faulting and was instrumental in the formation of the Rockies. The shock wave began piling up the western ranges, and around 120 million years ago the main ranges.
Around 85 million years ago the 2nd Terrane collided setting off a whole new series of shock waves and beginning the Laramide Orogeny. The force behind this second collision provided the energy needed to raise the Rockies up, form the front ranges and even the foothills. Eventually the force died out as it approached Calgary and so the prairies were left undisturbed.
Right after the birth of Rocky Mountains they looked like a high plateau, probably 6,000 meters above sea level. Over last 60 million years, the erosion stripped away the high rocks, revealing the ancestral rocks beneath. In the recent historic epoch of Pleistocene, several Ice Ages took place on Earth. Cold climate brought to Canadian Rockies the permanent continental ice sheet. By continuous growth and disappearence of glaciers the current rugged landscape of the Rockies with carved valleys and thousands of mountain peaks finally appeared.
Since the retreat of last Ice Age about 10,000 years ago, the landscape is still slowly changing. Important factors of change are especially gravity-driven rock movements that depend on the rock mass stability of mountain slopes. These processes involve not so frequent rock slides resulting in to the rapid local changes while common rock fall is responsible for talus cones much smaller in the rock volume.

MOUNTAINS OF ROCKIES

Castellate mountains

Typical of main range peaks, castellate mountains are distinctive of mountains composed of horizontal-lying layers. They often have vertical towers, and a step-like character resulting in a namesake resemblance to ancient castles. Classic example is Castle Mountain, the other notable peaks being Mount Temple or Mount Edith Cavell.

Matterhorn mountains

When glaciers scour four different sides of a summit, they may create a square-topped summit similar to the Matterhorn in Switzerland. Mount Assiniboine is the classic example barely resembling to any other peak in the whole Rockies (similarly outstanding peak shape possessing probably only remote Mount Ida, the northernmost over 10,000 ft mountain of Canadian Rockies).

Mountains cut in dipping-layered rocks

These mountains result from horizontal layers of rocks being thrust up at some significant angle. This results in a peak with one sweeping, smooth face, and one sharp, steep face where the edge of the uplifted layers are exposed. We can divide these mountains into cuestas whose bedding is less steep than about 30° (friction angle) and hogbacks with steeper angle up to 50-60º. Sunwapta Peak in Jasper is example of cuesta while Mount Rundle along with characteristic peaks around Kananaskis Lakes and The Fortress provide classic examples of hogbacks.

Dogtooth/Sawtooth mountains

When masses of almost vertical layers are eroded, layers of very hard rock may remain as an erosion remnant. These jagged peaks just straight up into the sky and seem to defy the elements. Mount Louis in Banff and Elpoca Mountain in Kananaskis Country are classic examples of dogtooths. If the harder sub-vertical layers are part of a mountain range, these layers may be eroded into a jagged ridge resembling the blade of a saw (sawtooth shape). The well known examples are Sawback Range in Banff and Opal Range in Kananaskis Country.

Anticlinal/Synclinal mountains

Unlike all previously described mountain types based on uniformly layered rock strata, all remaining mountain types have rock layers been significantly compressed. Without being cracked these rock beddings are formed into smooth domes (anticlines, resembling the letter A) or depressions (synclines, resembling the letter U). These structures can be preserved in the mountain form to create anticlinal mountains. Moose Mountain in the foothills and several of the mountains of the Fairholme Range exhibit this character. Conversely, mountains formed in dipping troughs, are known as synclinal mountains. Cirrus Mountain in Banff and Mount Kerkeslin in Jasper are the examples.

Complex mountains

Some mountains defy classification. They may have a combination of upfolds and downfolds resulting in very complex structures. These mountain forms are common in the eastern portions of Banff and Jasper National Parks.

MOUNT ASSINIBOINE

Shape

Matterhorns like Mt. Assiniboine are sharp, semipyramidal towers. The slope processes creating it are the same as those forming castellates. Erosion developed on all slopes without a preferred orientation. Following this, the summit ascents 750 vertical meters from its shoulders to the peak at 50 degrees. The symmetry of Mt. Assiniboine is attributed to the horizontal penetrative discontinuities, foliation and bedding, that pervade it. The slopes are generally oblique to joints, varying with rock mass strength. Mt. Assiniboine has experienced little modification after the retreat of the last glaciation because large landslides were not kinematically possible.
The bedding dip of Assiniboine is horizontal (0 to 5°) while the slopes are around 55° resulting to the dihedral angle of approx. 73° at the top (see schema).

Stratigraphy

When observing the prominent north face of Mount Assiniboine from around the earthcache coordinates under good visibility, one can see the numerous exposed Cambrian rock strata building the mountain peak itself. Characteristic properties of all surrounding rock strata like texture, color or shape can be studied using binoculars or preferably capture some zoomed high resolution snapshots for the later review.

UPPER CAMBRIAN (497 - 485 mya)

• Sullivan Formation: upper part is mainly grey or grey-green argillite while limestone is minor; lower part is mainly limestone

MIDDLE / UPPER CAMBRIAN (497 mya)

• Waterfowl Formation + upper part of Arctomys Formation: mainly massive dolomite and dolomitic limestone often with buff weathering

MIDDLE CAMBRIAN (513 - 497 mya)

• lower part of Arctomys Formation: cliff-forming interval of interbedded dolomite, siltstone with argillite partings - forms the prominent "red band"
• Eldon and Pika Formations, i.e. Kickinghorse Rim facies: whole facies is almost completely dolomitized; dominant is light to dark dolomite with limestone, that locally forms dark interbedded strips
• Stephen Formation (505 mya): thin interval of grey or green shales, slightly dolomitic, limestone is minor
• Cathedral Formation (509 mya): dolomite and limestone is dominant, with intense red-brown weathering at base
• Naiset Formation: mainly greenish or blue-grey argillite, commonly calcareous or dolomitized, minor is siltstone

LOWER CAMBRIAN (541 - 513 mya)

• Gog Group: consists of resistant quartzite and sandstone, with interbedded siltstone, shale and argillite is minor

Important geologic feature is also the latent Simpson Pass Thrust which encircles Mount Assiniboine via thrust line Gloria Lake - Wonder Pass - Magog Lake - Sunburst Lake - Cerulean Lake. Along this tectonic fault the distinct rock formations were moved one parallel to or into another. Simpson Pass Thrust line separates older Cambrian rocks of Mount Assiniboine massif from younger Mississippian/Devonian rocks of Wonder Peak, Mount Cautley or Cave Mountain, namely shales of Exshaw/Banff formation and limestones of cliff-forming Palliser formation.

Another geological place of interest in surroundings is one of the purest crystalline magnesite deposits ever discovered that was born 500 million years ago. Magnesite is a mineral with the chemical formula MgCO3 (magnesium carbonate). Its large deposit was discovered in 1966 within Cathedral formation of Middle Cambrian and the established reserves are in excess of 50 million tonnes of high quality magnesite ore. Baymag Inc. operates year round an open pit Mount Brussilof mine located approx. 10 km south of Mount Assiniboine summit.

EARTHCACHE

To find this earthcache, you must visit Provincial Park and accomplish relatively simple tasks. Since the usual time spent in this remote park are 3 days, not all of these tasks are strictly bound only to the earthcache coords. However, the view of the peak and surrounding rock formations is best from the EC coordinates as well as from other view points beyond the plateau edge towards Lake Magog (respect the environment and use only established paths).
To be successful it is strongly recommended that you read the listing and try to explain and answer your opinion in your own words. Free download of online geological map of the area (see first reference in information sources) may be also helpful.
Your answers must be sent using my profile e-mail address (do not post it in your log).

Required tasks

1. First, guesstimate the distance from the EC coords to the summit of Mount Assiniboine. Then, to check your guess, calculate the real distance using these data: elevation gain 1450 m, horizontal distance 3930 m.
2. Why doesn't any other peak around you have the similar matterhorn type shape like Mount Assiniboine? Which favorable coincidences do you think have been met here creating such impressively dominant pyramidal peak? Name and describe the effect of at least four different factors.
3. Which mountain type could be addressed to Naiset Point, then to Mount Terrapin and on the other hand to characteristic Nub Peak or Cave Mountain on the other sides of the visited area?
4. In case of Mount Assiniboine - is it true or false?
   A) The youngest rocks building the peak can be found on its top and towards the lower strata the rocks are older.
   B) The rocks on its top are older than the rocks building two much lower mountains Nub Peak and Mount Cautley.
5. Two major obstacles for people trying to ascend the summit of Mount Assiniboine represent so-called “red band” and “grey band”. What should be these sections build from? Describe general difference between these "bands" and the rest of the wall.
6. How many significant horizontal deposits do you see in the cliffs between Lake Magog and Mount Magog and what is the color of it like? What might be the reason for such contrast coloration? Might be this due to some fossil fuel occurrence?
7. Optional - in case of confusing weather conditions dissallowing the view of the rocky outcrops above Lake Magog (task 6), please email the number of the nearest “site” from the coords of this earthcache.
8. Optional - send the picture of you and your GPS with Mount Assiniboine in the background. Feel free to add your favourite pictures of the whole trip to Mount Assiniboine Park.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

Climbing Mount Assiniboine is not necessary, although the experience would be overwhelming.

You are not intended to find the information signs. In fact, there is not a single one educative lesson provided by the Park Administration in the whole area.

Earthcache visits before the publish date cannot be admitted as Found, unfortunately.

Enjoy your trip to Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park and feel free to describe your experience!

Information sources:

• http://geoscan.nrcan.gc.ca/starweb/geoscan/servlet.starweb?path=geoscan/fulle.web&search1=R=287204
• http://www.peakfinder.com/peakfinder.ASP?PeakName=mount+assiniboine
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geology_of_the_Rocky_Mountains
• http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/mt_assiniboine/
• http://www.mountainnature.com/geology/
• http://www.sunsite.ualberta.ca/Projects/Bridgland/jasper/jasperpdfs/cruden.pdf
• http://www.ags.gov.ab.ca/publications/wcsb_atlas/a_ch08/ch_08.html#structure
• http://www.empr.gov.bc.ca/Mining/Geoscience/PublicationsCatalogue/Fieldwork/Documents/1988/507-510-maclean.pdf
• http://www.baymag.com/company/

Listing version: 1.0 (24.12.2014) - html