Mount Selkirk

Mount Selkirk is a 2,930-metre (9,610-foot) mountain summit located in the Vermilion River Valley along the eastern border of Kootenay National Park. Park visitors can see the peak from Highway 93, also known as the Banff–Windermere Highway. It is part of the Mitchell Range, which is a sub-range of the Canadian Rockies of British Columbia, Canada. The nearest higher neighbor is Catlin Peak, 1.6 km (0.99 mi) to the northwest.

Mount Selkirk
Mount Selkirk (upper right) From Kootenay Valley Overlook along Highway 93
Highest point
Elevation	2,930 m (9,610 ft)[1]
Prominence	320 m (1,050 ft)[1]
Parent peak	Catlin Peak (2941 m)[1]
Listing	Mountains of British Columbia
Coordinates	50°51′59″N 115°54′30″W[2]
Geography
Mount Selkirk Location in British Columbia Show map of British Columbia Mount Selkirk Location in Canada Show map of Canada
Interactive map of Mount Selkirk
Location	Kootenay National Park British Columbia, Canada
District	Kootenay Land District
Parent range	Mitchell Range Canadian Rockies
Topo map	NTS 82J13 Mount Assiniboine
Geology
Rock age	Cambrian[3]
Rock type	Limestone[3]

History

The mountain was named in 1886 by George Mercer Dawson in honor of Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk (1771-1820), a Scottish philanthropist who sponsored immigrant settlements at the Red River Colony in what is now Manitoba.^[4] The mountain's toponym was officially adopted in 1924 by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.^[2]

Geology

Mount Selkirk is composed principally of Ottertail limestone, sedimentary rock laid down during the Precambrian to Cambrian periods and pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny.^[5]

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Mount Selkirk is located in a subarctic climate zone 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 tributaries of the Vermilion River.

Gallery

• 
  Catlin Peak and Mount Selkirk (right)
• 
  Mount Selkirk (left) and Catlin Peak (center) from northeast at Sunshine Meadows

See also

• Geology of the Rocky Mountains
• Geography of British Columbia
• Mountains portal