Hart Ranges Explained

Hart Ranges
Country:Canada
Region Type:Provinces
Parent:Canadian Rockies
Area Km2:13584
Length Km:282
Length Orientation:NW-SE
Length Ref:[1]
Width Km:367
Highest:Mount Ovington
Elevation M:2941
Coordinates:54.1444°N -120.5708°W
Range Coordinates:55°N -152°W
Range Coordinates Ref:[2]
Listing:Ranges of the Canadian Rockies
Map Size:200
Topo Maker:NTS
Topo Map:93O/01

The Hart Ranges are a major subrange of the Canadian Rockies located in northeastern British Columbia and western Alberta. The mountains constitute the southernmost portion of the Northern Rocky Mountains.

The Hart Ranges were named in honour of British Columbia Premier John Hart, as is the highway which traverses the Pine Pass in the northern part of the range, connecting the north-central Interior of the province to the Peace River Regional District to the northeast.

Geography

The boundaries of the Hart Ranges are the Rocky Mountain Trench and the McGregor Plateau on the west/southwest, the Peace Reach of Williston Lake on the north, a certain line of demarcation with the Rocky Mountain Foothills to the east/northeast, and the Jarvis Creek to the south.[3] [4]

The Hart Ranges is home to two ultra-prominent peaks, Mount Crysdale and Mount Ovington. Mount Ida and Mount Sir Alexander are south of Jarvis Creek and are in the Continental Ranges, which comprise the main and best-known part of the Rocky Mountains and run all the way south to Marias Pass in Montana.

Sub-rangesOfficial subdivisions of the Hart Ranges include the:

Other areas of the Hart Ranges have no subdesignations though the area around Mount Sir Alexander has been dubbed the Mount Sir Alexander Group by The Canadian Mountain Encyclopedia; however, this is not an official designation.

Industry

The Hart Ranges are the location of a number of large coal mines focused on the remote communities of Tumbler Ridge and Chetwynd.

Preservation

The southernmost tip of the mountain range is preserved within Kakwa Provincial Park and Protected Area. Other provincial parks located within the range include Monkman Provincial Park and Hole-in-the-Wall Provincial Park.

Notes and References

  1. 1401. Hart Ranges. 2023-07-06.
  2. JANRK. Hart Ranges. 2023-07-06.
  3. Book: Holland, Stuart S.. Bulletin 48: Landforms of British Columbia--A Physiographic Outline. 1976. K. M. MacDonald, Province of British Columbia. 84. 2011-04-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304185301/http://www.empr.gov.bc.ca/Mining/Geoscience/PublicationsCatalogue/BulletinInformation/BulletinsAfter1940/Documents/Bull48-txt.pdf. 2016-03-04. dead.
  4. Simon. C. Ommanney, L.. Glaciers of the Canadian Rockies. U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper. 2002. Satellite Image Atlas of Glaciers of the World. 1386–J–1. J272.