Joanna Xu

Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School

As a 16-year-old, I love playing Ultimate, and hanging out with my friends. I discovered Ultimate when I was in grade 6 and ever since, I’ve loved to spend my free time playing it. However, to do my hectic schoolwork, I decided not to try out for the team. When I’m not spending time outside with my dog, I often go out with my friends to watch a movie, grab lunch or go hiking, since we have the opportunity to go into the ocean and the mountains on the same day. Most times, we simply go out to eat because we all like to appreciate and take avantage of the diverse cultures we have in Vancouver, that are reflected in the food. I personally like Indian food.

1. Most of the Coast Mountains are made of granitic rock: a igneous (formed from solidified magma/lava) rock with minerals and is extremely durable.

The igneous rock used to form the mountains dates back to the volcanoes from the ice age, specifically the Black Tusk and part of the Garibaldi Provincial Park.

The stratovolcano, that makes up the Black Tusk, was from 1.3 to 1.1 million years ago, when 9k of lava flowed out.

In the diverse geography of Vancouver, granitic and metamorphic rocks make the majority of the island and are found on the Coastal and Cascade Mountains.

2. The Coastal Mountains include volcanic mountains and ice fields, and parts of it are called the Cascade Volcanoes.

The most known ice field within the Coast Mountains is the Homathko Ice field, taking up the southern half of the mountains.

Aside from the glaciers, there are also many volcanoes located in the Coast Mountains which make up the most explosive volcanoes in Canada.

However, volcanoes within the region gradually became inactive approximately 50 million years ago and others eventually eroded with the wind and water.

3. The Coast Mountains are some of the oldest mountains in Canada, dating back around 500 millions years ago, during the early Paleozoic Era where complex animals didn’t exist yet.

At the time, the Klamath Mountains (the oldest) were created from tectonic plates colliding with one another about 250 to 245 million years ago.

At first, they were on the Farallon Plate but through the collision with the Insular Plate, they volcanic mountains, also known as the Insular Islands, were created.

Between 80-90 million years ago, the Farallon Plate broke and the north part of its spread gave birth to the Kula Plate, which is now Vancouver Island.