The Purcell Mountains are a mountain range in southeastern British Columbia, Canada.[3] They are a subrange of the Columbia Mountains, which includes the Selkirk, Monashee, and Cariboo Mountains. They are located on the west side of the Rocky Mountain Trench in the area of the Columbia Valley, and on the east side of the valley of Kootenay Lake and the Duncan River.[4][5] The only large settlements in the mountains are the Panorama Ski Resort and Kicking Horse Resort, adjacent to the Columbia Valley towns of Invermere and Golden, though there are small settlements, such as Yahk and Moyie along the Crowsnest Highway, and residential rural areas dependent on the cities of Creston, Kimberley and Cranbrook, which are located adjacent to the range..
| Purcell Mountains | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Mount Farnham, British Columbia |
| Elevation | 3,493 m (11,460 ft)[1] |
| Prominence | 2,123 m (6,965 ft)[1] |
| Coordinates | 50°29′20″N 116°29′13″W / 50.488889°N 116.486944°W[2] |
| Geography | |
 Location map of the Purcell Mountains | |
| Countries |
|
| Provinces/States | |
| Range coordinates | 49°55′N 116°15′W / 49.917°N 116.250°W |
| Parent range | Columbia Mountains |
The Purcells are shown on some United States maps as the Percell Mountains, where their southern limit protrudes into the states of Idaho and Montana, abutting Lake Koocanusa, a reservoir on the Kootenai River.[6] American geographic classifications consider the Percells to be part of the Rocky Mountains but in Canada that terminology is reserved for ranges on the east side of the Rocky Mountain Trench. In the Purcell Mountains, most of the peaks are near or above 10,000 feet in elevation.
The Purcell Supergroup rocks that make up the Purcells were formed in the Proterozoic eon (in the Precambrian period), which spans from 2,500 million years ago to about 540 million years ago.[citation needed]
Sub-ranges
editHighest peaks
editThe ten highest summits of the Purcells:[7]
- Mount Farnham 3493 m
- Jumbo Mountain 3437 m
- Howser Spire 3412 m
- Karnak Mountain 3411 m
- Mount Delphine 3406 m
- Mount Hammond 3387 m
- Commander Mountain 3371 m
- South Howser Tower 3364 m
- Eyebrow Peak 3362 m
- Mount Peter 3357 m
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Mount Farnham". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2023-08-19.
- ^ "Mount Farnham". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2023-08-19.
- ^ "Purcell Mountains". BC Geographical Names. Retrieved 2023-08-18.
- ^ Landforms of British Columbia: A Physiographic Outline, by S. Holland 1964 (revised 1976), British Columbia Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Archived 2005-05-09 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Landforms of British Columbia: A Physiographic Outline- Physiographic map, by S. Holland 1964 (revised 1976), British Columbia Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2014-07-18.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Purcell Mountains
- ^ "Purcell Mountains". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2023-08-19.