Tent Mountain

Tent Mountain
Tent Mountain
Location in Alberta
Tent Mountain
Location in British Columbia
Tent Mountain
Location in Canada
Highest point
Elevation2,210 m (7,250 ft)[1]
Prominence500 m (1,600 ft)[1]
Listing
Coordinates49°33′26″N 114°42′31″W / 49.55722°N 114.70861°W / 49.55722; -114.70861[2]
Geography
CountryCanada
ProvincesAlberta and British Columbia
DistrictKootenay Land District[3]
Topo mapNTS 82G10 Crowsnest[2]

Tent Mountain is located on the border of Alberta and British Columbia on the Continental Divide. It was named in 1911 by Morrison P. Bridgland.[4][1]

Tent Mountain hosts a legacy mountaintop removal coal mine, which closed in 1983. Approximately half of the "top" of Tent Mountain was removed to access the coal creating a large open-pit at the top of the mountain. The waste rock was left in a pile along the side of the mountain next to the open-pit. In 2021, a proposal was received to restart mining at the top of Tent Mountain.[5] The proposal has since been withdrawn.

A recent study of water quality both within the mine area and in rivers draining the mine revealed elevated concentrations of selenium.[6] Selenium concentrations downstream of Tent Mountain reached 185 μg/L in a pond below the mine spoil pile, and up to 23 μg/L in Crowsnest Creek, which drains the pond and the mine property. Crowsnest Creek in turn flows into Crowsnest Lake.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Tent Mountain". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  2. ^ a b "Tent Mountain (Alberta)". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  3. ^ "Tent Mountain". BC Geographical Names. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  4. ^ "Tent Mountain". cdnrockiesdatabases.ca. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  5. ^ "Tent Mountain Mine Redevelopment Project". Impact Assessment Agency of Canada. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  6. ^ Cooke, Colin A.; Emmerton, Craig A.; Drevnick, Paul E. (2024-03-01). "Legacy coal mining impacts downstream ecosystems for decades in the Canadian Rockies". Environmental Pollution. 344 123328. doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2024.123328. ISSN 0269-7491.