Features
Plateau Mountain Features
Area
- Plateau Mountain is a small provincial Ecological Reserve located within AWA's area of interest known as the Livingstone/Porcupine area.
Natural Region
- Plateau Mountain is located in the Rocky Mountain Natural Region.
Geology
- Periglacial landscapes are associated with cold climates, active frost processes and permafrost. Testament to the immense power of water to shatter rock as it freezes and thaws, the range and quality of these periglacial features at Plateau Mountain is unmatched anywhere else in Alberta.
- Significant features are:
- Ice caves, with pillars of ice, ice sheets and crystals. These caves are closed to public access because of their fragility.
- Active permafrost, and relict permafrost to a depth of nearly 100 metres.
- Patterned ground, which includes a diverse selection of sorted stone circles, polygons and stripes, caused by a variety of periglacial processes. Cold, underground water, which is less dense than the surrounding water, rises towards the surface pushing rocks and soil with it. Larger rocks become sorted and appear at the surface.
- Felsenmeer, or 'rock sea', a layer of angular rocks caused by frost-shattering, covering a large proportion of the14 km2, flat-topped summit.
Wildlife
- A range of bird species has been recorded, including rosy finch, horned lark and white-tailed ptarmigan. Golden eagles regularly pass over the area on their spring and fall migrations along the front ranges of the Rockies.
- Plateau Mountain is home to a number of mammals typical of alpine and subalpine areas, including hoary marmot, pika and a small flock of bighorn sheep.
- More than 500 species of plant are found in or near the Reserve, including a number of rare plants such as alpine fleabane and flame-coloured lousewort.
- List of Plants
- List of Animals
