Pierce Mountain (Washington)

Pierce Mountain[2] is a 4,973+ ft summit in the North Cascades Range of Washington, United States. It is located within North Cascades National Park and Stephen Mather Wilderness. It is situated above Ross Dam, at the eastern culmination of Sourdough Mountain. Like many North Cascade peaks, Pierce Mountain is more notable for its large, steep rise above local terrain than for its absolute elevation. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into the Skagit River via Pierce Creek and Ross Lake.

Pierce Mountain
Pierce Mountain, southeast side
Highest point
Elevation4,973 ft (1,516 m) [1]
Prominence133 ft (41 m) [1]
Coordinates48°44′54″N 121°04′57″W [1]
Geography
Pierce Mountain
Whatcom County, Washington, U.S.
Pierce Mountain
Pierce Mountain (the United States)
Parent rangeNorth Cascades
Topo mapUSGS Ross Dam
Geology
Type of rockgneiss
Climbing
Easiest routeHiking trail

Climate

Pierce Mountain is located in the marine west coast climate zone of western North America.[3] Most weather fronts originate in the Pacific Ocean, and travel east toward the Cascade Mountains. As fronts approach the North Cascades, they are forced upward by the peaks of the Cascade Range, causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the Cascades (Orographic lift). As a result, the west side of the North Cascades experiences high precipitation, especially during the winter months in the form of snowfall.[3] During winter months, weather is usually cloudy, but, due to high pressure systems over the Pacific Ocean that intensify during summer months, there is often little or no cloud cover during the summer.[4] Because of maritime influence, snow tends to be wet and heavy, resulting in high avalanche danger.[3]

Geology

The North Cascades features some of the most rugged topography in the Cascade Range with craggy peaks, ridges, and deep glacial valleys. Geological events occurring many years ago created the diverse topography and drastic elevation changes over the Cascade Range leading to the various climate differences. These climate differences lead to vegetation variety defining the ecoregions in this area.

The Pierce Mountain Trail offers beautiful views of the North Cascades

The history of the formation of the Cascade Mountains dates back millions of years ago to the late Eocene Epoch.[5] With the North American Plate overriding the Pacific Plate, episodes of volcanic igneous activity persisted.[5] In addition, small fragments of the oceanic and continental lithosphere called terranes created the North Cascades about 50 million years ago.[5]

During the Pleistocene period dating back over two million years ago, glaciation advancing and retreating repeatedly scoured the landscape leaving deposits of rock debris.[5] The “U”-shaped cross section of the river valleys are a result of recent glaciation. Uplift and faulting in combination with glaciation have been the dominant processes which have created the tall peaks and deep valleys of the North Cascades area.

References
  1. "Pierce Mountain, Washington". Peakbagger.com.
  2. "Pierce Mountain". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2018-08-13.
  3. Beckey, Fred W. (1996). Cascade Alpine Guide, Volume 3 (2nd ed.).
  4. Beckey, p. 16
  5. Kruckeberg, Arthur (1991). The Natural History of Puget Sound Country. University of Washington Press.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.