Watermelon Peak

Watermelon Peak
Watermelon Peak
	Watermelon Peak seen from Molar Pass with summit to right of center and outlier S2 to left
Highest point
Elevation	3,094 m (10,151 ft)
Prominence	674 m (2,211 ft)
Parent peak	(3182 m)
Listing	Mountains of Alberta
Coordinates	51°42′56″N 116°20′35″W / 51.71556°N 116.34306°WCoordinates: 51°42′56″N 116°20′35″W / 51.71556°N 116.34306°W
Geography
	Watermelon Peak Location of Watermelon Peak in AlbertaShow map of AlbertaShow map of CanadaShow all
Location	Banff National Park; Alberta, Canada
Parent range	Canadian Rockies
Topo map	NTS 82N9 Hector Lake
Geology
Age of rock	Cambrian
Climbing
First ascent	1966 D. Michael, W.V.G. Matthews, W.L. Putnam, M. Stearns, L.R. Wallace
Easiest route	Scrambling YDS 3

Watermelon Peak is a 3,094-metre (10,151-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.^[1]

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.^[4] The July 1966 first ascent party included David Michael, W.V.G. Matthews, William L. Putnam, M. Stearns, and L.R. Wallace.^[2]

Geology[]

Like other mountains in Banff Park, Watermelon Peak is composed of sedimentary rock laid down during the Precambrian to Jurassic periods.^[5] Formed in shallow seas, this sedimentary rock was pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny.^[6]

Climate[]

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Watermelon Peak is located in a subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.^[7] 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.

References[]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Watermelon Peak". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
^ ^a ^b "Watermelon Peak". PeakFinder.com. Retrieved 2019-09-08.
^ "Watermelon Peak". explor8ion.com. Retrieved 2019-09-08.
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ Gadd, Ben (2008). Geology of the Rocky Mountains and Columbias.
^ 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.