NORTH AMERICAN REGIONS

VI. Rocky Mountains e. Alberta and British Columbia

Key
  

RedRed-Term to define and remember YellowYellow-Place to locate and remember Bright Green-Agricultural product Green(crop), resource or another thing to locate and remember White and Blue - Narration to help understanding

The Canadian Rockies rise out of the plains as dramatically as do the US Rockies. But sometimes . . .

landslide . . . they fall down.

Unfortunately this landslide buried the small Alberta town of Frank.

Mountains are constantly weathering. Sometimes large sections come down at once. This is called mass wasting. wasting.

A mine

Although nowhere over 13,000, the Canadian Rockies appear larger.

Perhaps this is due to the lower timberline.

The timberline is c. 7500 this far north.

More rain falls on the Western slope of the Canadian Rockies since the west is the windward side of the mountains. This is orographic precipitation.

Transportation is difficult through the mountains.

Trains have a different problem.

Rubber tires on pavement allow vehicles to go up a steep slope.

Vehicle slope
50

20

0 0

50

100

So railroads have a difficult path through mountains.

Downhill Uphill

If the train goes too fast on the downhill slope . . .

. . . What uses the tunnel?

Entering a tunnel Sometimes the route is so steep that extraordinary engineering is necessary!

Railroad Highway

Tunnel Train

Train entering tunnel

Train entering . . .

Banff, Alberta Banff,

Banff is an upscale ski resort and the site of the 1988 Calgary Olympics.

You could stay at the Banff Lodge.

Note the color of the Bow River.

This milky color is caused by tiny particles of silt in the river. The particles and rock ground to powder by a glacier. Its called glacial flour.

This is Canada. In the US we would probably have a fence that keeps people out, with danger warning signs. Hard rock is difficult to wear away.

Since the Yoho River looks milky what must be the source? source?

Yoho Glacier

A moving mass of ice in a valley

When the milky rivers water settles into lakes the suspended glacial flour colors the water blue green.

This one is named Emerald Lake.

Talus!

Jasper NP

Yoho Banff NP NP

Glacier NP

Mount Stephens

glacier ?

glacier

50 years ago this glacier was here

Jasper National Park Athabasca Valley

Why is Lake Peyto bluegreen?

glacier

Alluvial fan of glacial debris

Many glaciers are here.

from the Columbia Ice Field White = snow Blue = ice Athabasca Glacier

This one is approachable.

The ice is dirty!

If you were standing here and looking back . . .

Note the people walking up to the glacier.

The Athabasca Glacier is also melting back (retreating).

snow ice

crevasse

a source of the Athabasca River

ice

ice

Here water is melting off the Columbia Ice Field. Field.

Takakaw Falls drops 850. In Canada you can walk as far as you dare.

Animals we have seen

Rocky Mountain Goats are eating minerals like salt that are necessary in their diet.

Hes shedding his winter coat.

Cute, but dangerous

Hes standing guard.

Great habitat for . . .

Elk

Black Bear
Its been tagged.

Probably because its been too close to humans. Next time it may be killed.

This female is familiar with people and their bird feeders.

Taken in Northeastern Wisconsin, not the Rockies!

Here there is no wilderness to which to take the bear.

How many will survive?

squirrel

surrounded by mountains, it makes sense to . . .

Since were Climb!

moraines

Nameless feature
In Missouri wed have a name for this.

On this hike were going to see something special: The Burgess Shale

Below others

Above some clouds

Mt. Burgess

Mount Burgess from Emerald Lake

Emerald Lake from the slopes of Mount Burgess

Shale But not the Burgess Shale. Shale.

Mount Burgess Closer to the destination

Closer . . .

Continental Divide

The Burgess Shale

At last . . . At the timberline . . . Near the continental divide . . . The destination . . .

Closer . . .

What are they doing? ? Tents

Why would people put up tents on the side of a mountain, near the Continental Divide, in a quarry of the Burgess Shale? Shale?

Even for graduate students in paleontology this is remote.

Snow!

A place where clouds bump into you.

There it is: the Burgess Shale! Shale!

It is important for two reasons The rocks particles are extremely finefinegrained, capable of fossilizing even soft body parts. It so oldfrom the old Cambrian explosion of life (505-570 million (505years ago).

This is a common organism from the Cambrian Period. Its a . . . trilobite

The Burgess Shale reveals phyla that became extinct at the end of the Cambrian period.

This is an arthropod that is a totally new species.

A bit more of Gods creation is revealed.

If youre really intrigued read Wonderful Life by Stephen J. Gould.

Goodbye to the Burgess Shale.

Jasper NP Columbia Icefield Yoho Banff NP NP

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONS

VI. Rocky Mountains
e. Alberta and British Columbia

The End