The Lewis Range is a
mountain range
A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have aris ...
located in the
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...
of northern
Montana
Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...
, United States and extreme southern
Alberta
Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...
, Canada. It was formed as a result of the
Lewis Overthrust, a geologic thrust fault involving the overlying of younger
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...
rocks by older
Proterozoic
The Proterozoic ( ) is the third of the four geologic eons of Earth's history, spanning the time interval from 2500 to 538.8 Mya, and is the longest eon of Earth's geologic time scale. It is preceded by the Archean and followed by the Phanerozo ...
rocks. The range is located within
Waterton Lakes National Park in
Alberta
Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...
, Canada and
Glacier National Park and the
Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex in
Montana
Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...
, United States. The highest peak is
Mount Cleveland at .
Geography
The Lewis Range is within
Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada, and in
Glacier National Park in Montana. The
Continental Divide spans much of the uppermost sections of the range. Major peaks in the range include
Mount Cleveland (), which is the highest peak in the range and in Glacier National Park
. Other prominent peaks include
Mount Stimson (),
Mount Jackson (),
Mount Siyeh (),
Going to the Sun Mountain, () and the isolated
Chief Mountain (). This sharp range begins north of
Marias Pass and includes
Logan Pass which bisects Glacier National Park east to west.
Geology
Formed by the
Lewis Overthrust beginning 170 million years ago, an enormous slab of
Precambrian
The Precambrian ( ; or pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pC, or Cryptozoic) is the earliest part of Earth's history, set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian is so named because it preceded the Cambrian, the first period of t ...
rocks thick, wide and long faulted and slid over newer rocks of the
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...
period. In this relatively rare occurrence, older rocks are now positioned above newer ones.
See also
*
List of mountains and mountain ranges of Glacier National Park (U.S.)
References
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
Mountain ranges of Alberta
Mountain ranges of Montana
Landforms of Flathead County, Montana
Landforms of Glacier County, Montana
Glacier National Park (U.S.)
Mountains of Glacier National Park (U.S.)