Lawson Peak (California)

Last updated

Lawson Peak
Lawson Peak.jpg
East aspect
Highest point
Elevation 13,165 ft (4,013 m) [1]
Prominence 273 ft (83 m) [1]
Parent peak Kaweah Queen [2]
Isolation 0.48 mi (0.77 km) [2]
Coordinates 36°33′36″N118°30′52″W / 36.5601229°N 118.5143872°W / 36.5601229; -118.5143872 [3]
Naming
Etymology Andrew Lawson [3]
Geography
Relief map of California.png
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Lawson Peak
Location in California
Usa edcp relief location map.png
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Lawson Peak
Lawson Peak (the United States)
CountryUnited States
State California
County Tulare
Protected area Sequoia National Park
Parent range Sierra Nevada
Topo map USGS Triple Divide Peak
Geology
Rock age Cretaceous
Mountain type Fault block
Rock type Granodiorite
Climbing
First ascent 1924 [4]
Easiest route Southwest slope class 2 [5]

Lawson Peak is a 13,165-foot-elevation (4,013-meter) mountain summit located west of the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Tulare County, California, United States. It is situated on Kaweah Peaks Ridge of the Great Western Divide in Sequoia National Park. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 5,150 feet (1,570 meters) above Kern Canyon in approximately six miles. Precipitation runoff from this mountain drains into tributaries of the Kern River. This landform's toponym was officially adopted in 1976 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to commemorate Andrew Lawson (1861–1952), professor of geology at the University of California, Berkeley. [3] The first ascent of the summit was made on July 11, 1924, by Gerald A. Gaines, C. A. Gaines, and H. H. Bliss. [5]

Contents

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Lawson Peak is located in an alpine climate zone. [6] Weather fronts originating in the Pacific Ocean travel east toward the Sierra Nevada mountains. As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks (orographic lift), causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the range.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Lawson Peak, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Lawson Peak - 13,167' CA". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 "Lawson Peak". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved July 16, 2025.
  4. Mildred Jentsch, Arthur J. Reyman, A Climber’s Guide to the High Sierra, (1954)
  5. 1 2 R. J. Secor, The High Sierra Peaks, Passes, Trails, 2009, Third Edition, Mountaineers Books, ISBN   9781594857386.
  6. "Climate of the Sierra Nevada". Encyclopædia Britannica .