Ellis Creek Canyon
Updated 26 December 2013
Ellis Creek drains from the high-elevation plateau of the Okanagan Highlands on the eastern side of the valley and discharges into the Okanagan River Channel in Penticton. Ellis Creek flows through a deep bedrock canyon. The bedrock on the north side of Ellis Creek is Okanagan Complex metamorphic rock (myolenite, gneiss) while the rock on the south side is Okanagan Intrusive complex igneous rock (granodiorite). The canyon is thought to have been formed through a combination of fluvial (water) and glacial (ice) erosion. The canyon formed along the contact zone between rock types which provided a zone of weakness. Given the resistance of both rock types to erosion, it is likely that the formation of the canyon occurred over multiple glacial cycles.
Reference
Roed, MA and Fulton, RJ (eds.) 2011. Okanagan Geology South. Okanagan Geology Committee. p. 109.
Ellis Creek drains from the high-elevation plateau of the Okanagan Highlands on the eastern side of the valley and discharges into the Okanagan River Channel in Penticton. Ellis Creek flows through a deep bedrock canyon. The bedrock on the north side of Ellis Creek is Okanagan Complex metamorphic rock (myolenite, gneiss) while the rock on the south side is Okanagan Intrusive complex igneous rock (granodiorite). The canyon is thought to have been formed through a combination of fluvial (water) and glacial (ice) erosion. The canyon formed along the contact zone between rock types which provided a zone of weakness. Given the resistance of both rock types to erosion, it is likely that the formation of the canyon occurred over multiple glacial cycles.
Reference
Roed, MA and Fulton, RJ (eds.) 2011. Okanagan Geology South. Okanagan Geology Committee. p. 109.