Mount Estella is a mountain

summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topography, topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used ...

in Alberta, Canada.

Description

Mount Estella is located within Jasper National Park and is the second-highest peak in the Trident Range of the

Canadian Rockies The Canadian Rockies (french: Rocheuses canadiennes) or Canadian Rocky Mountains, comprising both the Alberta Rockies and the British Columbian Rockies, is the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains. It is the easternmost part ...

. The town of Jasper is situated to the northeast and the

Continental Divide A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not ...

is to the west. The nearest higher neighbor is

Majestic Mountain Majestic Mountain is a mountain summit located in Whatcom County in Washington state. Description Majestic Mountain is part of the Okanogan Range which is a sub-range of the North Cascades, and is situated on land administered by the Ok ...

, to the south. Precipitation runoff from Estella's east slope drains to the Athabasca River via Portal Creek and the west slope drains to the Miette River via Crescent and Meadow creeks. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 1,100 metres (3,609 feet) above Circus Valley in two kilometres (1.2 mile). Majestic and Estella

History

The mountain's name first appeared in 1916 when Morrison P. Bridgland, a Dominion Land Surveyor was naming many peaks in this area, but the namesake was not recorded. The name appeared in publications as early as 1917. The mountain's toponym was officially adopted in 1951 by the

Geographical Names Board of Canada The Geographical Names Board of Canada (GNBC) is a national committee with a secretariat in Natural Resources Canada, part of the Government of Canada, which authorizes the names used and name changes on official federal government maps of Canada ...

. The first ascent of the summit was made in 1930 by Newman Diefendorf Waffl. He would perish later that same year on Mount Robson.

Geology

The mountain is composed of sedimentary rock laid down during the

Precambrian The Precambrian (or Pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pꞒ, 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 the ...

to Jurassic periods and pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny. The strata of this peak have been tilted from horizonal orientation to nearly vertical.

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Mt. Estella is located in a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of an ocean, ge ...

zone with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers. Winter temperatures can drop below -20 °C with wind chill factors below -30 °C.

References

External links