When was Cypress Hills formed?
It is named for the Cypress Hills of southeastern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan and was first described from outcrops on the slopes of the Cypress Hills in 1930. It is known for preserving a wealth of vertebrate fossils....Cypress Hills FormationNamed byM.Y. Williams and W.S. Dyer, 193014 more rows
What is so special about the Cypress Hills?
The first interprovincial park in Canada, the Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park offers something for every visitor. The towering hills, lush forest and fescue prairie provide breathtaking views. The park offers several campgrounds, including an equestrian campground in the rustic West Block wilderness area.
Why is it called Cypress Hills?
The hills' name probably derives from an early French Canadian explorers' term, montagne de cyprès, used to describe their pine-covered character. The word cyprès (cypress) was widely, though erroneously, used in reference to Canadian pine forests.
How were the conglomerate cliffs formed?
The surface of the Conglomerate Cliffs is made up of a combination of gravel and stones known as "cobbles." Water drains from the cliff edge, creating calcium carbonate, according to some sources, and with enough geological pressure it cemented this material together to form the cliffs.
Can you swim in Cypress Hills?
The rolling hills, clear blue waters and lush forests found in Cypress Hill Interprovincial Park make it an attractive outdoor destination for all ages. Visitors can access the water on Loch Leven near the Cypress Hills Resort, where you can relax or swim in the beautiful lake.
Are there bears in Cypress Hills?
The varied plant communities here provide homes for many animals including elk, moose, wild turkeys, deer, pine martens and cougars. There are no bears in the Cypress Hills (the last one was shot in 1890).
What race are Cypress Hill?
Latino AmericanCypress Hill (founded 1988) is a Latino American hip-hop group based in South Gate, California. Founded in 1988, the three original members of Cypress Hill are Cuban-born rapper Sen Dog, rapper of Mexican and Cuban ancestry B-Real, and Italian American DJ Muggs.
Are the Cypress Hills mountains?
The highest point in the Cypress Hills is at Head of the Mountain in Alberta at 1,466 m (4,810 ft). The highest point in Saskatchewan is 1,392 m (4,567 ft), in a farmer's field in the Cypress Hills, at 49°33′N 109°59′W.
What is Saskatchewan's highest point?
Highest Elevation: Cypress Hills - 1,392 m (4,566 ft.) above sea level. Major River Systems: The North Saskatchewan, South Saskatchewan, Assiniboine, Churchill Rivers all flow into Hudson Bay.
What does conglomerate rock turn into?
Conglomerate rock is changed to metaconglomerate through contact or regional metamorphic processes. During these processes, there are changes in the texture and mineralogy of rock through compaction and recrystallization.
What is highest elevation in Cypress Hills?
4,816′Cypress Hills / ElevationRising more than 600 metres above the surrounding prairies, the Cypress Hills are a striking geological anomaly on the flat plains. The hills climb sharply from the north before gradually dropping back to the plains in the south. Their highest point (1,466 m) is at "Head-of-the-Mountain."
What kind of rock is conglomerate?
Conglomerates. Conglomerates are clastic sedimentary rock that contains mostly pebble-size rounded clasts. The spaces between the clasts are generally filled with smaller particles and/or chemical cement that then binds and formed the rock matrices together.
When was Cypress Hill most popular?
Cypress Hill Details They are considered to be among the main progenitors of West Coast rap and hip hop in the early 1990s, being critically acclaimed for their first four albums.
What famous people are buried in Cypress Hill cemetery?
Jackie Robinson (1919-1972): Famous baseball player who is known for becoming the first African-American to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball....Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War include:Benjamin Levy.John G. Morrison.Alex Forman.James Horton.Joseph Hibson.
What event was motivated by the Cypress Hills Massacre?
Thirteen or more Assiniboine warriors and one wolfer died in the conflict. The Cypress Hills Massacre prompted the Canadian government to accelerate the recruitment and deployment of the newly formed North-West Mounted Police.
How much does Cypress Hill charge for a concert?
Cypress Hill Ticket PricesCityVenueAverage Ticket PriceSan FranciscoClimate Pledge Arena$143DenverRed Rocks Amphitheatre$126San FranciscoHeritage Bank Center$143Los AngelesMicrosoft Theater$1496 more rows
What is the Cypress Hills Formation made of?
The Cypress Hills Formation is composed primarily of gravel and sand, some of which has been cemented to conglomerate and sandstone . There is also some minor marlstone. The majority of the pebbles, cobbles and boulders are well-rounded and consist of quartzite and chert. There are minor pebbles and cobbles of porphyritic rocks and argillite. Sedimentary structures include cross-bedding and imbricate cobbles and boulders. The sediments are generally coarser-grained in the western areas.
Where is the Cypress Hills?
It is named for the Cypress Hills of southeastern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan and was first described from outcrops on the slopes of the Cypress Hills in 1930. It is known for preserving a wealth of vertebrate fossils.
What was the climate during the time of deposition?
Climate. The climate during the time of deposition was semi-arid with seasonal rainfall, as indicated by the vertebrate fossils, as well as by the sedimentology and palynology. The browsing and grazing animals are characteristic of woodland savannas, dry savannas, and grassland plains.
Where are bones of Mesohippus found?
A reconstruction of Mesohippus. Bones of this extinct horse have been found in the Cypress Hills Formation. Vertebrate fossils have been recovered from the Cypress Hills Formation since 1883, producing a wealth of material for study.
What are the bones of a giant pig?
There are also bones of entelodonts (the so-called "giant pigs" or "hell pigs"), hornless members of the rhinoceros family, small camels, antelopes, oreodonts, anthracotheres, and several genera of horses including Mesohippus, Parahippus, and Hypohippus.
What happened to the Cypress Hills during the Pleistocene?
During the Pleistocene, the top of the Cypress Hills was not overridden by the Laurentide Ice Sheet and remained unglaciated. As the ice sheet paused periodically during its final retreat, a series of morainal ridges of glacial till built up around the hills. Rivers of meltwater cut large channels through the area as the retreat continued, and smaller streams carved coulees and areas of badlands.
What are the Cypress Hills called?
The Cypress Hills have been known by a wide number of native and European names throughout their history. An 1882 Blackfoot –English dictionary written by C. M. Lanning provided the Blackfoot name I-kim-e-kooy, which translates as "striped earth" or "earth over earth". The Cree name, in use at the same time, is manâtakâw, (spelled in a variety of anglicized forms including "Mun-a-tuh-gow"), sometimes said to mean "beautiful upland" but more accurately referring to "an area to be respected, protected, taken care of and/or taken care with". The Assiniboine name is wazíȟe. The Gros Ventre name is θáaciih "pine trees". Early Métis hunters, who spoke a variation of French, called the hills les montagnes des Cyprès, in reference to the abundance of jack pine trees. In the Canadian French spoken by the Métis, the jack pine is called cyprès, although it is not a true cypress tree. The English translation is Cypress Hills.
Why are the Cypress Hills so popular?
Due to their higher elevation, the upper slopes and summit of the Cypress Hills experience cooler temperatures and greater rainfall than the surrounding semi-arid plains , and they support a flora and fauna that is much like that of the mountains south of the United States-Canada border in Montana and Wyoming.
How high are the Cypress Hills?
The Cypress Hills reach a maximum elevation of 1,466 metres (4,810 ft), rising about 600 m (1970 ft) above the surrounding plains. They are the remnant of a more widespread plateau, most of which has been removed by erosion. The plateau is capped by the resistant conglomerate and sandstone beds of the Cypress Hills Formation. That formation were deposited by rivers that flowed from the mountains of southwestern Alberta and northwestern Montana during late Eocene to middle Miocene time, and it known for its wealth of vertebrate fossils.
Where is the West Block Wilderness?
The Centre Block is located 30 kilometres south of Maple Creek on Highway 21. The West Block is located 45 kilometres southwest of Maple Creek on Highway 271.
How were the Cypress Hills formed?
The Cypress Hills were formed as a result of sedimentary deposition over millions of years, followed by a strong resistance to the glacial erosion that flattened the surrounding prairies. This unique resistance to glacial processes allowed the Cypress Hills to stand as a ‘nunatak’ – a tall ice-free structure amidst a glacial sheet – and allows Cypress Hills to stand up to 600 m higher than the prairies today.
Why are the Cypress Hills important?
The Cypress Hills hold national environmental significance due to their high cultural value and the unique habitat they provide for many rare or endangered flora and fauna. The high ecological value is derived from the Cypress Hills’ anomalous physiography, as they tower up to 600 m over the surrounding prairies.
How many km2 are the Cypress Hills in Alberta?
Within Alberta, 403.2 km 2 of the Cypress Hills are protected as the Cypress Hills Provincial Park (400 km 2) and Red Rock Coulee Natural Area (3.2 km 2 ). The Cypress Hills Provincial Park, the Alberta arm of the Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, contributes to the protection of the Cypress plateau. Surrounding the Provincial Park is a 278 km 2 protective fringe.
What are the natural subregions of Cypress Hills?
Natural Subregions within the area include Montane, Dry Mixedgrass and Mixedgrass.
What mammals are in Cypress Hills?
Some mammals, such as elk and moose, were extirpated from the Cypress Hills Provincial Park and have since been reintroduced. The presence of the elk population has caused some controversy within the Provincial Park, as their grazing is in conflict with some priorities in the surrounding agricultural community.
What is the sensitive nature of the Cypress Hills?
The sensitive nature of the water basins in the Cypress Hills, including Elkwater Lake, has led to the creation of agricultural water co-op and moratoria on future water licenses to effectively manage water use within the area.
How high are the Cypress Hills?
Once a nunatak, the Cypress Hills now rise 600 metres above the Western Canadian prairies. PHOTO © K. MIHALCHEON
What happened to the Cypress Hills?
The next thing that happened was the gradual erosion of the softer land around the Cypress Hills so that after millions of years the hills stood out as high plateaus in the middle of a vast prairie.
What to do in Cypress Hills?
The Cypress Hills Centre Block has a truly great variety of things to do, including hiking, biking (both regular and mountain), swimming (in the lake or in a pool), fishing, canoeing, horse back riding, golf and zip-lining. There’s even an observatory for Dark Sky enthusiasts.
What is the most abundant wildlife in Cypress Hills?
The Cypress Hills is teeming with wildlife including an abundance of mule and white-tailed deer and free roaming cattle, which might explain why it has the highest density of cougars in North America.
How tall is Campsite 20?
In fact, much of the Centre Block is a forest of amazingly straight lodgepole pines that rise up to sixty feet tall.
What was the surface of North America covered by?
Aeons ago, a huge swath of North America was covered by primeval oceans that deposited layers of silt and stone that solidified into conglomerate. When the oceans dried up this conglomerate became the surface of the Cypress Hills.
Do bears live in Cypress Hills?
Conversely, there are no bears in the Cypress Hills although at one time it had so many plains grizzlies that professional hunters came here to kill them for their pelts. So if you are afraid of bears this might be the place for you, although don’t let the cougars get you or the rattlesnakes that are abundant.
How were the Cypress Hills formed?
They are known as an erosional plateau, having been formed by millions of years of sedimentary deposition followed by millions of years of erosion.
What are the parts of Cypress Hills?
There is the Alberta side around Elkwater, the West Block Wilderness Area and Centre Block on the Saskatchewan side. Fort Walsh is located in the West Block Wilderness Area. The Cypress Hills, which were never glaciated, have a rich and exciting history.
Where are Cypress Hills campgrounds?
The majority of facilities in Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park - Alberta, including the Visitor Centre (open year round) and 7 campgrounds with over 350 individual campsites, are concentrated along the south shore of Elkwater Lake in the Elkwater townsite, located just off Highway #41. In addition, 3 smaller campgrounds with more than 50 sites, as well as viewpoints and hiking trails, are found scattered throughout the Hills.
Why are the Cypress Hills so hot?
Weather and Climate. Due to the higher elevation, the Cypress Hills experience temperatures that are a few degrees lower than the surrounding area and experience more precipitation. As air masses approach the Cypress Hills they are forced up and over the plateau.
What can you see in Horseshoe Canyon?
Looking north on a clear day, you can see rolling hills, coulees and flat prairie landscape for more than 100 km. The cliff faces of Horseshoe Canyon expose the conglomerate caprock that protects the underlying bedrock.
How many species of orchids are there in Cypress Hills?
More orchids grow in these hills than anywhere else on the prairies. At least 18 species have been recorded here. Over 220 bird species, 47 mammal species, and several species each of reptiles and amphibians – Cypress Hills is a wild and wonderful place!
What is the focal point of the displays in the Cypress Hills Visitor Centre?
The focal point of the displays in the Cypress Hills Visitor Centre is the archaeological peel that was removed from the site. More information on the history of the hills can be found in the resources section.
Why are the Cypress Hills important?
The hills were also important for spiritual quests and for the lodgepole pine that was used for the poles of their lodges and TRAVOIS. The hills' name probably derives from an early French Canadian explorers' term, montagne de cyprès, used to describe their pine-covered character. The word cyprès (cypress) was widely, though erroneously, used in reference to Canadian pine forests. The area is identified as the Cypress Hills on the PALLISER map of 1857-60. It was a centre of whisky trade in the late 1860s, and in 1873 a gang of American wolf hunters massacred some Assiniboine there. The incident spurred Prime Minister John A. MACDONALD 's government to establish quick passage of the recently introduced bill to create the NORTH-WEST MOUNTED POLICE. FORT WALSH was built in 1875 near the site of the massacre.
Where are the Cypress Hills?
The Cypress Hills, covering about 2500 km 2, are situated in southeastern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan. With a maximum elevation of over 1460 m, they rise 600 m above the surrounding prairies, forming the highest point in mainland Canada between the Rocky Mountains and Labrador.
What is the name of the area in the Canadian pine forest?
The word cyprès (cypress) was widely, though erroneously, used in reference to Canadian pine forests. The area is identified as the Cypress Hills on the PALLISER map of 1857-60. It was a centre of whisky trade in the late 1860s, and in 1873 a gang of American wolf hunters massacred some Assiniboine there.
When was Cypress Hills protected?
Beginning in 1906, part of the Cypress Hills was protected as a federal forest reserve. RESOURCE RIGHTS were transferred to the provinces in 1930. Ranching became important in the area after the Canadian Pacific Railway arrived at MAPLE CREEK in 1883.
Did the hills of Canada have ice?
The hills were high enough to have been one of the few areas in Canada not completely ice-covered during the Late Wisconsinan Laurentide glaciation. Their higher portions projected through the ice as NUNATAKS. Wind-blown loess, in places over 2 m thick, was deposited during this period.
Overview
Lithology
The Cypress Hills Formation is composed primarily of gravel and sand, some of which has been cemented to conglomerate and sandstone. There is also some minor marlstone. The majority of the pebbles, cobbles and boulders are well-rounded and consist of quartzite and chert. There are minor pebbles and cobbles of porphyritic rocks and argillite. Sedimentary structures include cross-bedding and imbricate cobbles and boulders. The sediments are generally coarser-grained in the western a…
Environment of deposition
The gravels and sands of the Cypress Hills Formation were derived primarily from the Rocky Mountains of northwestern Montana and southernmost Alberta and British Columbia when those areas were uplifted during the Laramide Orogeny. The resulting sediments were deposited across southeastern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan by northeast-flowing braided rivers. Additional material came from the Sweetgrass Hills, Bearpaw Mountains and Highwood Mountains in …
Paleontology
Vertebrate fossils have been recovered from the Cypress Hills Formation since 1883, producing a wealth of material for study. The largest bones and teeth come from brontotheres; some of the skulls are almost four feet (1.2 m) long. There are also bones of entelodonts (the so-called "giant pigs" or "hell pigs"), hornless members of the rhinoceros family, small camels, antelopes, oreodonts,
Climate
The climate during the time of deposition was semi-arid with seasonal rainfall, as indicated by the vertebrate fossils, as well as by the sedimentology and palynology. The browsing and grazing animals are characteristic of woodland savannas, dry savannas, and grassland plains. The remains of freshwater fish, reptiles, and amphibians attest to the presence of rivers and streams. The marlstones were probably deposited in shallow temporary lakes, mudflats, and debris flows.
Age
The age of the Cypress Hills Formation has been determined primarily by biostratigraphy. Its vertebrate fossils indicate North American Land Mammal Ages of Uintan (middle Eocene) to Hemingfordian (early Miocene).
Thickness and distribution
The Cypress Hills Formation is present primarily on the Cypress Hills and Swift Current plateaus in southeastern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan. It is exposed on the present day erosional surface, or covered by glacial drift and loess that were deposited during and after the Wisconsin glaciation. It reaches a maximum thickness of 80 metres (260 ft) and is typically about 40 metres (130 ft) thick. It rests unconformably on the Ravenscrag Formation.
See also
• Missouri Coteau
Overview
The Cypress Hills are a geographical region of hills in southwestern Saskatchewan and southeastern Alberta, Canada. The hills are part of the Missouri Coteau upland.
The highest point in the Cypress Hills is at Head of the Mountain in Alberta at 1,466 m (4,810 ft). The highest point in Saskatchewan is 1,392 m (4,567 ft), in …
Geology and geomorphology
The Cypress Hills reach a maximum elevation of 1,466 m (4,810 ft), rising about 600 m (2,000 ft) above the surrounding plains. They are the remnant of a more widespread plateau, most of which has been removed by erosion. The plateau is capped by the resistant conglomerate and sandstone beds of the Cypress Hills Formation. That formation was deposited by rivers that flowed from the mountains of southwestern Alberta and northwestern Montana during late Eocene to middle Mioc…
Name
The Cypress Hills have been known by a wide number of Indigenous and European names throughout their history. An 1882 Blackfoot–English dictionary written by C. M. Lanning provided the Blackfoot language name I-kim-e-kooy, which translates as "striped earth" or "earth over earth". The Cree language name, in use at the same time, is manâtakâw, (spelled in a variety of anglicized form…
Ecology
Due to their higher elevation, the upper slopes and summit of the Cypress Hills experience cooler temperatures and greater rainfall than the surrounding semi-arid plains, and they support a flora and fauna that is much like that of the mountains south of the Canada–United States border in Montana and Wyoming.
The north-facing slopes and some of the valleys host forests of aspen, lodgepole pine, and white …
History
Historically the Cypress Hills were a meeting and conflict area for various Native Americans and Indigenous Canadians (First Nations) including the Cree, Assiniboine, Atsina, Blackfoot Confederacy, Saulteaux, Sioux, Crow, and others. During the 19th century Métis settled in the hills, hunting and often wintering there. The Cypress Hills Massacre, a key event in Canadian history leading to the creation of the North-West Mounted Police, occurred in the hills when a group of American wolf h…
Interprovincial park
The Cypress Hills Provincial Park in Saskatchewan was established in 1931, and it was extended into Alberta in 1951, and Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park was created in 1989 which joined the parks on either side of the provincial border and also includes Fort Walsh National Historic Site.
The Saskatchewan side of the park is divided into two blocks: Centre Block, which has fully developed year round tourist facilities, and West Block Wilderness area, with rustic camping an…
Climate
Cypress Hills has a subarctic climate (Dfc) due to its elevation above the surrounding area. Summer days are mild to warm coupled with cool nights, while winters are cold and snowy with annual snowfall averaging 255.2 cm (100.5 in). Precipitation peaks during the month of June, where thunderstorms are common. Chinook winds can raise the temperature 5 °C (9.0 °F) in an hour, with it not being uncommon for the temperature to go from −10 to 20 °C (14 to 68 °F) in a …
In Popular Culture
The Cypress Hills region is featured prominently in Saskatchewan-based country singer Colter Wall's 2022 single "Cypress Hills And The Big Country."