Montana Mountain
Encyclopedia
Montana Mountain is a deeply eroded Late Cretaceous
stratovolcano
located south of Carcross, Yukon
, Canada
. As well as its main peak, the mountain includes many sub-peaks and contains felsic
pyroclastic
s and flows; typically altered and orange-weathering. Montana Mountain was formed when the ancient Kula Plate
was subducting
under southwestern Yukon during the Late Cretaceous period.
A flurry of quartz mining activity took place on Montana Mountain in the early 1900s. American financier John Conrad consolidated claims on Montana Mountain and built a tramway from Windy Arm on Tagish Lake 4 miles up the mountain to carry the ore back down.
Montana mountain is also an important landmark for the Tagish and Carcross First Nations living in the area. According to legend, Montana Mountain is one of the peaks Game Mother used to hang a swing for her animal creations. On this swing each kind of animal danced and sang a different song. Following this "celebration" Game Mother gave each animal their characteristic attributes of today. In addition to its spiritual importance, the mountain was also an important source of food, medicines, and refuge.
During the Klondike Gold Rush, an extensive network of trails were constructed on the mountain to connect the silver rich Pooley Canyon with Tagish Lake. In 2005 the Carcross/Tagish First Nation took back the mountain in its land claim settlement and set out to restore the old trail network and make it accessible for public use and enjoyment.
Through a programme called "SingleTrack to Success" an extensive network of mountain bike trails have been developed on the lower slopes of Montana Mountain. Maps are available online as well as in Carcross and in Whitehorse.
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous period is divided in the geologic timescale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous series...
stratovolcano
Stratovolcano
A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a tall, conical volcano built up by many layers of hardened lava, tephra, pumice, and volcanic ash. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile and periodic, explosive eruptions...
located south of Carcross, Yukon
Carcross, Yukon
Carcross, originally known as Caribou Crossing, is an unincorporated community in the Territory of Yukon, Canada on Bennett Lake and Nares Lake. It has a population of 431 and is home to the Carcross/Tagish First Nation....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. As well as its main peak, the mountain includes many sub-peaks and contains felsic
Felsic
The word "felsic" is a term used in geology to refer to silicate minerals, magma, and rocks which are enriched in the lighter elements such as silicon, oxygen, aluminium, sodium, and potassium....
pyroclastic
Pyroclastic rock
Pyroclastic rocks or pyroclastics are clastic rocks composed solely or primarily of volcanic materials. Where the volcanic material has been transported and reworked through mechanical action, such as by wind or water, these rocks are termed volcaniclastic...
s and flows; typically altered and orange-weathering. Montana Mountain was formed when the ancient Kula Plate
Kula Plate
The Kula Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate under the northern Pacific Ocean south of the Near Islands segment of the Aleutian Islands. It is subducting under the North American Plate at the Aleutian Trench and is surrounded by the Pacific Plate...
was subducting
Subduction
In geology, subduction is the process that takes place at convergent boundaries by which one tectonic plate moves under another tectonic plate, sinking into the Earth's mantle, as the plates converge. These 3D regions of mantle downwellings are known as "Subduction Zones"...
under southwestern Yukon during the Late Cretaceous period.
A flurry of quartz mining activity took place on Montana Mountain in the early 1900s. American financier John Conrad consolidated claims on Montana Mountain and built a tramway from Windy Arm on Tagish Lake 4 miles up the mountain to carry the ore back down.
Montana mountain is also an important landmark for the Tagish and Carcross First Nations living in the area. According to legend, Montana Mountain is one of the peaks Game Mother used to hang a swing for her animal creations. On this swing each kind of animal danced and sang a different song. Following this "celebration" Game Mother gave each animal their characteristic attributes of today. In addition to its spiritual importance, the mountain was also an important source of food, medicines, and refuge.
During the Klondike Gold Rush, an extensive network of trails were constructed on the mountain to connect the silver rich Pooley Canyon with Tagish Lake. In 2005 the Carcross/Tagish First Nation took back the mountain in its land claim settlement and set out to restore the old trail network and make it accessible for public use and enjoyment.
Through a programme called "SingleTrack to Success" an extensive network of mountain bike trails have been developed on the lower slopes of Montana Mountain. Maps are available online as well as in Carcross and in Whitehorse.
See also
- Volcanism of Northern CanadaVolcanism of Northern CanadaVolcanism of Northern Canada has led to the formation of hundreds of volcanic areas and extensive lava formations across Northern Canada, indicating volcanism played a major role in shaping its surface...
- List of volcanoes of Canada
External links
- Montana Mountain in the Canadian Mountain Encyclopedia
- http://www.ctfn.ca/tiki-page.php?pageName=Home Tagish Carcross First Nation Community Portal