| Mount John Laurie | |
|---|---|
| Îyâmnathka, Mount Yamnuska | |
 Yamnuska | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 2,240 m (7,350 ft)[1] |
| Listing | Mountains of Alberta |
| Coordinates | 51°07′27″N115°07′06″W / 51.12417°N 115.11833°W /51.12417; -115.11833[2] |
| Geography | |
  Mount John Laurie Location in Alberta | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Alberta |
| District | Municipal District of Bighorn No. 8 |
| Parent range | Canadian Rockies |
| Topo map | NTS82O3Canmore |
| Geology | |
| Rock age | Paleozoic |
| Mountain type(s) | Limestone andshale |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | Unknown |
| Easiest route | Scramble[1] |
Mount John Laurie is amountain in theCanadian Rockies, inAlberta'sMunicipal District of Bighorn No. 8.
Officially named Mount John Laurie in 1961,[3] it is also known as Mount Laurie, or by its originalStoney Nakoda nameÎyâmnathka, borrowed into English asMount Yamnuska or simplyYamnuska.[3]Îyâmnathka is acompound that includes root words meaning "mountain" and "flat",[4] however it is usually translated more figuratively as "flat-faced mountain".[5]
John Lee Laurie, 1899–1959, was a founder of theIndian Association of Alberta. The mountain's 1961 renaming came at the request of the Stoney Nakoda First Nation. Laurie, an educator and political activist, served as secretary of the Indian Association of Alberta from 1944 to 1956, promoting the causes of First Nations in Alberta.[6]
Standing at approximately 2,240 m (7,350 ft) above sea level,[7] Mount John Laurie is the last mountain on the north side of theBow River valley (Bow Valley) as it exits the mountains for the foothills and prairie of Alberta. Located close toCalgary, it is a popular "great scramble"[further explanation needed]. It is also a popularrock climbing destination, with over 100 routes of all difficulty levels spread out across its face.
Mount John Laurie is the result of the McConnell Thrust Fault, which put the resistive, cliff-formingCambriancarbonate rock of theEldon Formation on top of the much younger and weakerCretaceous aged,clasticBelly River Formation[8][9] The fault, which sits at the base of the cliff face, represents an age difference of around 450 million years.[8]
In 1987 Mount John Laurie was listed into a global network of natural spiritual places, which also includedMount Fuji in Japan,Stonehenge,Mount Shasta,Machu Picchu in Peru, Australia'sUluru, and thepyramids of the Yucatán.[10]