Manastash Ridge is a long anticline mountain ridge located in central Washington state in the United States. Manastash Ridge runs mostly west-to-east in Kittitas and Yakima counties, for approximately 50 miles. The ridge is part of the Yakima Fold Belt of east-tending long ridges formed by the folding of Miocene Columbia River basalt flows. [1]
In structural geology, an anticline is a type of fold that is an arch-like shape and has its oldest beds at its core. A typical anticline is convex up in which the hinge or crest is the location where the curvature is greatest, and the limbs are the sides of the fold that dip away from the hinge. Anticlines can be recognized and differentiated from antiforms by a sequence of rock layers that become progressively older toward the center of the fold. Therefore, if age relationships between various rock strata are unknown, the term antiform should be used.
A mountain is a large landform that rises above the surrounding land in a limited area, usually in the form of a peak. A mountain is generally steeper than a hill. Mountains are formed through tectonic forces or volcanism. These forces can locally raise the surface of the earth. Mountains erode slowly through the action of rivers, weather conditions, and glaciers. A few mountains are isolated summits, but most occur in huge mountain ranges.
A ridge or a mountain ridge is a geological feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for some distance. The sides of the ridge slope away from narrow top on either side.The line along the crest formed by the highest points, with the terrain dropping down on either side, is called the ridgeline. Ridges are usually termed hills or mountains as well, depending on size.
The highest point in Manastash Ridge is Manastash Peak at 6,335 feet (1,931 m), located 22.4 miles (36.0 km) west of Ellensburg, Washington. [2] Interstate 82 crosses through the eastern portion of the ridge; the Manastash Ridge Summit is located at milepost 7 of the interstate (south of Ellensburg) or about 24 miles (39 km) north of Yakima, Washington at an elevation of 2,672 feet (814 m).
Ellensburg is a city in and county seat of Kittitas County, Washington, United States. The population was 20,326 in a 2017 census estimate. Located just east of the Cascade Range on Interstate 90, Ellensburg is the most centrally located city in the state, and is the home of Central Washington University (CWU).
Interstate 82 (I-82) is an Interstate Highway in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States that travels through parts of Washington and Oregon. It runs 144 miles (232 km) from Ellensburg, Washington, to Hermiston, Oregon, passing through Yakima and the Tri-Cities. The highway also connects I-90 and I-84, which continue to Seattle and Boise, Idaho, respectively.
Yakima is a city in and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, and the state's eleventh-largest city by population. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 91,067 and a metropolitan population of 243,231. The unincorporated suburban areas of West Valley and Terrace Heights are considered a part of greater Yakima.
In addition to Manastash Peak, Manastash Ridge includes the peaks of Quartz Mountain (6,289 feet (1,917 m)), Mount Clifty (6,243 feet (1,903 m)), and Lookout Mountain (6,188 feet (1,886 m)). The astronomy department of the University of Washington maintains the Manastash Ridge Observatory, located about 9 miles (14 km) west-southwest of Ellensburg.
The University of Washington is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
The Manastash Ridge Observatory (MRO) is an astronomical observatory built in 1972 by the University of Washington. It is located in a remote area approximately 14 kilometers (8.7 mi) west of Ellensburg, Washington, and can be reached by dirt roads from Ellensburg or Selah. The observatory features a 0.75 m (30 in) Ritchey-Chrétien telescope built by Boller and Chivens. Initially used for professional and graduate research, the observatory is now used mostly by undergraduate students for instruction and research. For a brief time there was talk of stopping funding for MRO as the University of Washington Astronomy Department focus on the Apache Point Observatory, but funding did continue and MRO is still in use.
