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Geoscape Canada
Earth Sciences Sector > Priorities > Geoscape Canada > Calgary
Geoscape Calgary
Virtual tours - Geology
Stop 8 - Canmore
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Whitemans Gap above the town of Canmore
Whitemans Gap above the town of Canmore

Whiteman's Gap, above the town of Canmore, with its beautiful cascading waterfalls, is a classic example of a hanging valley and serves as the entrance to the beautiful Spray River valley. Today the vertical drop from the Spray River valley to the Bow River valley is used to generate hydroelectric power using water from the Spray Lakes Reservoir.

The classic U-shaped valley at Whiteman's Gap was created by glaciers as they eroded the valleys in the Canadian Rockies during the last ice age. It is a 'hanging valley', that is suspended above the larger Bow River valley, which was also eroded by glaciers into a U-shaped profile.


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Legend

HoloceneHolocenePresent - 10,000 years ago
QuaternaryQuaternary10,000 - 25,000 years ago
TertiaryTertiary25,000 - 65 million years ago
MesozoicMesozoic65 - 245 million years ago
PaleozoicPaleozoic245 - 670 million years ago

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2005-06-17Important notices