Thanks to a high-speed collision – and some discovery and then re-discovery (or not) – we get to introduce you to the mountain behind the ecosystem.

So, this is it – the top of the world. Well, the top of the Rocky Mountain world, at least. Well, where we’re standing isn’t the top of the world – that would be the ice dome that caps Mount Robson peak and, with apologies, I’m not conquering that for you. In fact, very few people have. Though famed as one of the most iconic mountain climbs in the world, it’s believed that only about one in ten succeed.

The reason? Well, it’s tall for starters – 3954 metres, to be exact – which makes it the tallest in the Canadian Rockies.

Though by default your eye looks to the top of the mountain, to really understand what makes Mount Robson so formidable, you need to look down.

Unlike most tall peaks, Mount Robson rises from the valley floor. As a result, you can see where it starts and where it ends – at least, when it’s not covered in cloud, which is rare – and that’s why geologists refer to it as a prominent peak (seriously, we couldn’t have come up with a more creative name?) because its, um, prominence helps us better judge the size of the peaks around it.

In fact, because this peak doesn’t start halfway up a mountain, the distance from the valley floor to its top amounts to 3128 metres – making the elevation gain of Mount Robson the largest of any peak anywhere in the Rockies.

Which is not to say it’s one of the highest peaks in Canada. Despite their, um, rocky nature, the Rockies don’t account for any peak in Canada’s top 20 (Mount Robson comes in at number 21…so close, little buddy).

But this peak is a mammoth fortress, and it’s the first massif – or sizeable block of rigid rock jutting from the Earth’s crust – that moist Pacific air crashes into on its eastward journey.

That’s the reason why Mount Robson can literally create its own weather system – it’s size, especially compared to the relatively low-lying valleys, enables it to design a regional microclimate that’s one of the most unique in the world: the inland temperate rainforest found near its base.

In case you’re a nut for rocks, this is where you’re probably keen to know it was formed 100 million years ago, according to new research. Which means Mount Robson and other Canadian Rocky Mountain peaks are super young in geology terms. Which is also why they’re so pointy. The younger the mountain, the sharper its edges; the older the mountain, the rounder it becomes (thanks erosion!). Which, when you think about it, is basically a metaphor for human aging, just over a much, much larger time scale.

According to scientists from the University of Alberta, the Rockies weren’t formed by a “gradual accumulation of matter”, but rather by a high-speed collision – again, high speed is relative to geologists (if you’re picturing two mountain-like trains colliding at 100 kilometres an hour, you’ve forgotten why geologists are rarely the toast of the party).

via GIPHY

So, what does that mean then? I’m not even going to try to explain. Take it away U of A!

“The results suggest that an ocean basin off North America’s west coast descended beneath the ribbon-shaped microcontinent, dragging North America westward, where it collided with the microcontinent.”

Neat.

Jill, co-founder of Nature Labs & geology geek showing off her look when people talk geology.

I mean, it would be more fun if that collision was in real-time, but I’m sure this is the stuff of geology dreams. (Right, Jill?)

And kind of neater still is the fact this isn’t actually how other parts of the Rocky Mountains formed. They were created through the boring old shifting of tectonic plates. And that’s why the US Rockies looks so different from the Canadian Rockies.

You see, our mountains are made of sedimentary rock (like limestone, which is a softer rock and that means it’s more conducive to forming caves and did you know Mount Robson also is home to the second deepest cave in Canada, the 536 metres Arctomys Cave? Didn’t think so. It’s up the Moose Valley!).

The American Rockies are mostly composed of metamorphic rock. The difference? One is a gradual accumulation of, you guessed it, sediment, and the other is formed by heat and pressure.

But before you start getting jealous of the American Rockies, remember this part of the Rockies likely was formed from a high-speed collision – so take that USA.

Also!

Canada’s Rockies? They’re more jagged than their US counterparts. Which means they look nicer (America Rockies are beautiful too, its just more of a, um, subtle beauty). ?

Why?

Glaciers!

The US Rockies are better defined by V-shaped valleys, thanks to rivers carving out their more gentle curvatures, and the Canadian Rockies are better defined by U-shaped valleys, brought to you by glacial movements.

Glaciers create the pointy peaks and the moister climate (in geological terms, in other words, they talk moistly), and they helped carve the sides of the mountains so we can all better appreciate those layers of sedimentary rock.

via GIPHY

Actually, it’s because Mount Robson resembles a layer cake that Indigenous nations to refer to the mountain as Yexyexéscen or Striped Rock and as Yu-hai-has-kun or Mountain of the Spiral Road. (Every nation has their own language, their own names and their own stories – and those aren’t ours to share, but we encourage you to learn about the Indigenous nations who have called this landscape home since time immemorial and hear their stories in their words.)

Why does western society call it Mount Robson?

Well, no one definitively knows. Some thought it was named after a one-time BC premier, but that’s basically been debunked. Most believe it was named after Colin Robertson, a fur trader with the Hudson’s Bay Company (also, in his spare time, he was an MP in the first parliament of Upper and Lower Canada!) who may have sent Iroquois hunters to travel, maybe, near the mountain and they, maybe, named it after this Robertson fellow.

Sounds

super exact.

Actually, some research suggests that in 1827 fur traders were referring to the mountain as Mount Robinson.

Likely because settlers were known for slurring the names Robinson and Robertson into something sounding like Robson, it was written down as thus by those who followed and decided to build two railways by its base (neither of which, of course, was Canada’s first railway – that would be the Canadian Pacific, who built their line across Kicking Horse Pass after being asked nicely by the government of the day to go further south in order to help the country stake a better claim to land that someone else had already claimed (Indigenous nations), but wanted as their own, so it wouldn’t entice the wandering eye of American expansionists who also wanted this (already claimed) land. And to this day, CP is haunted by their – their? – decision to not build across the much lower, much less expensive Yellowhead Pass, though those two railways that did make tracks by Mount Robson eventually fought each other to death – which CP is likely happy to have avoided – forcing the federal government to create one super railway from their ashes – CN – which was eventually privatized and, now a corporate giant, bullies around the lowly CP with the much higher elevation, much more costly route. Great, you’re up to speed on Canadian railway history and modern economics.)

via GIPHY

Depending on where you stand on these things, the railway encouraged tourism, which encouraged adventurous rock climbers, which encouraged the creation of the Alpine Club of Canada, which led to a topographical survey of Mount Robson, which led the BC government to thinking the mountain was so cool, it should be made into BC’s second provincial park.

And here we are: Looking at the top of the (Canadian) (Rocky Mountain) world; imagining what it would be like to actually be on top of the (Canadian) (Rocky Mountain) world, but being very glad we’re not, because we (I) don’t like super crazy heights; appreciating that a crazy high speed (not so high speed) collision created this mountainous beauty (when its cloud free); wondering if at some point soon we’ll realize what a stupid name Mount Robson is and come to our senses and change it back to what it was called in the first place, like Spiral Mountain. Just saying.

What do you think?

How much did you know about Mount Robson before this story? How did you know so much, or why did you know so little?
What was the most surprising thing you learned reading this story? Why did you find it surprising? How would you share what you’ve learn from this story with your friends and family?
Do you think Mount Robson matters? Why or why not?
How have your opinions on the alpine and mountains been influenced by media and pop culture?
Do you think your perspectives on the alpine have been shaped because of the media you’ve consumed in the past? How could you learn more about the alpine - and different perspectives - about the alpine going forward without it becoming a chore?
How do alpine areas impact your world? If the alpine disappeared from your region, how might it affect your life? Would it?
Is the alpine found near you? If not, what is the closest region that has alpine conditions?
What local decisions impact the alpine? Are there any citizen science projects to help others learn about the alpine in your area? Are there community research programs? Any stories about the alpine? How might different careers influence the future of the alpine?
Do you think our society is making well informed decisions when it comes to the alpine and mountainous regions? Why do you think that? What would you do better?
How might you be a better steward of the alpine through your passions and hobbies?
What do we not know when it comes to the alpine region in Mount Robson, or in or near your community? Do we know enough, or do we need to know more about their role in the ecosystem and their value to biodiversity to make important decisions for people and nature? If so, what?
What did you learn about the Simpcw first nation and their stories of the Robson Valley? What indigenous land are you on? What are some of their stories? What do they call prominent features in your community?

Explore More

Take a virtual hike along the Kinney Lake trail along the base of the peak