Chiwawa Mountain

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Chiwawa Mountain
Chiwawa Mountain.jpg
Chiwawa Mountain from north
Highest point
Elevation 8,459 ft (2,578 m) [1]
Prominence 1,219 ft (372 m) [1]
Parent peak Fortress Mountain 8760 ft [1]
Coordinates 48°09′48″N120°54′27″W / 48.163424°N 120.907616°W / 48.163424; -120.907616 Coordinates: 48°09′48″N120°54′27″W / 48.163424°N 120.907616°W / 48.163424; -120.907616 [1]
Geography
USA Washington relief location map.jpg
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Chiwawa Mountain
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Chiwawa Mountain
Chiwawa Mountain (the United States)
Parent range Entiat Mountains
North Cascades
Cascade Range
Topo map USGS Suiattle Pass
Geology
Age of rock Cretaceous
Type of rock Biotite gneiss [2]
Climbing
First ascent 1921 party of The Mountaineers led by Lorenz A. Nelson [2]
Easiest route Scrambling [2]

Chiwawa Mountain is an 8,459-foot (2,578-metre) mountain summit located in the Glacier Peak Wilderness of the North Cascades in Washington state. [3] The mountain is situated on the crest of the Cascade Range, on the shared border of Snohomish County and Chelan County, also straddling the boundary between the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and the Wenatchee National Forest. Its nearest higher peak is Fortress Mountain, 1.12 mi (1.80 km) to the west. Chiwawa Mountain is a triple divide peak, so precipitation runoff from it drains northeast to Lake Chelan via Railroad Creek; northwest into Miners Creek which is a tributary of the Suiattle River; and south into the Chiwawa River headwaters. The mountain's name is taken from the river's name, which was applied by Albert Hale Sylvester (1871-1944), a pioneer surveyor, explorer, topographer, and forest supervisor in the Cascades. [2] Chiwawa comes from the Columbia-Moses language and means a kind of creek ("wawa" creek). [4]

Contents

Geology

Chiwawa Mountain is located in the Cloudy Pass batholith, an intrusive formation that was formed approximately 20  million years ago, during the early Miocene. [2] [5] During the Pleistocene period dating back over two million years ago, glaciation advancing and retreating repeatedly scoured and shaped the landscape. [6] Remnants of the Lyman Glacier remain on the northeast slope of Chiwawa Mountain. Glaciation was most prevalent approximately 18,000 years ago, and most valleys were ice-free by 12,000 years ago. [2] 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. Subduction and tectonic activity in the area began during the late cretaceous period, about 90  million years ago. Extensive volcanic activity began to take place in the oligocene, about 35 million years ago. [7] Glacier Peak, a stratovolcano that is 10.0 mi (16.1 km) southwest of Chiwawa Mountain, began forming in the mid-Pleistocene. [2] Due to Glacier Peak's proximity to Chiwawa Mountain, volcanic ash is common in the area.

Climate

Chiwawa Mountain is located in the marine west coast climate zone of western North America. [2] Most weather fronts originate in the Pacific Ocean, and travel northeast 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. [2] Due to its temperate climate and proximity to the Pacific Ocean, areas west of the Cascade Crest very rarely experience temperatures below 0 °F (−18 °C) or above 80 °F (27 °C). [2] 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. [2] Because of maritime influence, snow tends to be wet and heavy, resulting in high avalanche danger. [2]

See also

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Colchuck Peak

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Tupshin Peak

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Emerald Peak (Washington)

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Saska Peak

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Bearcat Ridge

Bearcat Ridge is a 7,960+ ft mountain ridge located in the Chelan Mountains, in Chelan County of Washington state. It is situated on the boundary of Glacier Peak Wilderness, on land managed by Wenatchee National Forest. Its nearest higher peak is Emerald Peak, 1.1 mi (1.8 km) to the south-southwest, and Cardinal Peak is positioned 1.76 mi (2.83 km) to the south. Precipitation runoff from the ridge drains into nearby Lake Chelan via Emerald Creek and Bearcat Creek. Bearcat Ridge forms the high divide between these two creek valleys.

North Star Mountain

North Star Mountain is an 8,096-foot (2,468-metre) mountain summit located in the Glacier Peak Wilderness of the North Cascades, in Chelan County of Washington state. Its nearest neighbor is Cloudy Peak 0.9 mi (1.4 km) to the southwest, and the nearest higher neighbor is Bonanza Peak, 1.9 mi (3.1 km) to the northeast. North Star Mountain was originally named Bonanza Peak, and vice versa, but the USGS’ first 1904 topographic map of the region mistakenly interchanged the names. Precipitation runoff from North Star drains into Agnes Creek and Railroad Creek, both tributaries of the Chelan River.

Cirque Mountain (Washington)

Cirque Mountain is a 7,966-foot (2,428-metre) mountain summit located in the Glacier Peak Wilderness of the North Cascades in Washington state. The mountain is situated on the crest of the Cascade Range, on the shared border of Snohomish County and Chelan County, also straddling the boundary between the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and the Wenatchee National Forest. Its nearest higher peak is Napeequa Peak, 0.3 mi (0.48 km) to the south. The peak is set on Chiwawa Ridge with Napeequa, and other notable peaks on this ridge include Fortress Mountain, Buck Mountain, Brahma Peak, and Chiwawa Mountain. Topographic relief is significant since the western aspect of the mountain rises 4,000 feet above the Suiattle Valley in approximately 1.5 mi (2.4 km). This mountain has small, unnamed, hanging glaciers in cirques surrounding the summit. Precipitation runoff from the peak and meltwater from the glaciers drains east to the headwaters of Napeequa River; or west into the Suiattle River.

Pinnacle Mountain (Washington)

Pinnacle Mountain is an 8,400+ ft granitic multi-peak massif located in the Chelan Mountains, in Chelan County of Washington state. The mountain is situated in Glacier Peak Wilderness of the North Cascades, on land managed by Wenatchee National Forest. Fred Beckey's Cascade Alpine Guide has the elevation of the highest pinnacle as 8,402 feet. Pinnacle Mountain ranks as the fourth-highest peak in the Chelan Mountains, and 75th-highest summit in Washington state. Its nearest higher neighbor is Saska Peak, 1.9 mi (3.1 km) to the southeast, and Emerald Peak is positioned 2.25 mi (3.62 km) to the east-southeast. Precipitation runoff from the peak drains into the Entiat River and Chelan River drainage basins.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Chiwawa Mountain, Washington". Peakbagger.com.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Beckey, Fred W. Cascade Alpine Guide, Climbing and High Routes. Seattle, WA: Mountaineers Books, 2008.
  3. "Chiwawa Mountain". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey . Retrieved 2019-04-12.
  4. Bright, William (2007). Native American placenames of the United States. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 105. ISBN   978-0-8061-3598-4.
  5. CLOUDY PASS BATHOLITH AND ASSOCIATED ROCKS USGS
  6. Kruckeberg, Arthur (1991). The Natural History of Puget Sound Country. University of Washington Press.
  7. "North Cascades Geology". United States Geological Survey. Archived from the original on August 1, 2013. Retrieved July 29, 2013.