Octopus Mountain (original) (raw)

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Mountain in British Columbia, Canada

Octopus Mountain
North aspect, centered at top
Highest point
Elevation 2,932 m (9,619 ft)[1][2]
Prominence 570 m (1,870 ft)[3]
Parent peak Indian Peak (2,992 m)[3]
Listing Mountains of British Columbia
Coordinates 50°54′27″N 115°48′34″W / 50.90750°N 115.80944°W / 50.90750; -115.80944[4]
Geography
Octopus Mountain is located in British ColumbiaOctopus MountainOctopus MountainLocation in British ColumbiaShow map of British ColumbiaOctopus Mountain is located in CanadaOctopus MountainOctopus MountainLocation in CanadaShow map of Canada
Map
Interactive map of Octopus Mountain
Country Canada
Province British Columbia
District Kootenay Land District[5]
Protected area Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park
Parent range Mitchell Range[3]Canadian Rockies
Topo map NTS 82J13 Mount Assiniboine[4]
Geology
Rock age Cambrian
Rock type Sedimentary rock

Octopus Mountain is a 2,932-metre (9,619-foot) mountain summit located in Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park of British Columbia, Canada.

Octopus Mountain is situated 12 km (7.5 mi) west of the Continental Divide and is part of the Mitchell Range which is a sub-range of the Canadian Rockies.[3] Precipitation runoff from the peak's southeast slope drains into the Mitchell River and all other slopes drain into tributaries of the Simpson River. Topographic relief is modest as the summit rises 1,330 m (4,360 ft) above Lachine Creek in 3 km (1.9 mi) and 1,300 m (4,300 ft) above the Mitchell River in 4 km (2.5 mi).

The mountain was named in 1913 by surveyor Robert Daniel McCaw (1884–1941) but the reason for the name is unknown.[1][2] The mountain's toponym was officially adopted on September 9, 1924, by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.[4] A forest fire burned the slopes of Octopus Mountain in 2012 and consumed 932 hectares of land.[6]

Octopus Mountain is composed of sedimentary rock laid down during the Precambrian to Jurassic periods. Formed in shallow seas, this sedimentary rock was pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny.[7]

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Octopus Mountain 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.

  1. ^ a b Boles, Glen W.; Putnam, William Lowell; Laurilla, Roger W. (2006). Canadian Mountain Place Names. Rocky Mountain Books. p. 187. ISBN 9781894765794.
  2. ^ a b "Octopus Mountain". cdnrockiesdatabases.ca. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  3. ^ a b c d "Octopus Mountain, Peakvisor.com". Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  4. ^ a b c "Octopus Mountain". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  5. ^ "Octopus Mountain". BC Geographical Names. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  6. ^ Jessel, Steve (September 18, 2012). "Forest fire in Kootenay National Park continues to burn". The Invermere Valley Echo. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  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.