Glacier Peak is a mountain
summit
A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topography, topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous.
The term (mountain top) is generally used ...
located in
Union County,
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
, US.
Description
Glacier Peak is located at the center of the
Wallowa Mountains and is set within the
Eagle Cap Wilderness
Eagle Cap Wilderness is a wilderness area located in the Wallowa Mountains of northeastern Oregon (United States), within the Wallowa–Whitman National Forest. , on land managed by
Wallowa–Whitman National Forest.
[ The peak is situated 2.6 miles northwest of ]Cusick Mountain
Cusick Mountain is a summit located in Wallowa County, Oregon, US.
Description
Cusick Mountain is located at the center of the Wallowa Mountains and is set within the Eagle Cap Wilderness, on land managed by Wallowa–Whitman National Forest ...
, 0.5 mile southwest of Glacier Lake and 0.7 mile southeast of line parent A peak's line parent is the closest higher peak on the highest ridge leading away from the peak's "key col". A col is the lowest point on the ridge between two summits and is roughly synonymous with pass, gap, saddle and notch. The highest col of ...
Eagle Cap
Eagle Cap ( is a mountain peak located in the Wallowa Mountains, Wallowa–Whitman National Forest, in the U.S. state of Oregon. The peak is in the Eagle Cap Wilderness and the Benson Glacier is along the east flank of the summit ridge. Its summit ...
.[ Precipitation ]runoff
Runoff, run-off or RUNOFF may refer to:
* RUNOFF, the first computer text-formatting program
* Runoff or run-off, another name for bleed, printing that lies beyond the edges to which a printed sheet is trimmed
* Runoff or run-off, a stock market ...
from the mountain drains east into headwaters of the West Fork Wallowa River
The Wallowa River is a tributary of the Grande Ronde River, approximately long, in northeastern Oregon in the United States. It drains a valley on the Columbia Plateau in the northeast corner of the state north of Wallowa Mountains.
The Wallowa ...
, and west into the East Fork Eagle Creek. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises above Eagle Creek in less than one mile. On the north slope, a permanent snowfield
A snow field, snowfield or neve is an accumulation of permanent snow and ice, typically found above the snow line, normally in mountainous and glacial terrain.
Glaciers originate in snowfields. The lower end of a glacier is usually free from sn ...
called Benson Glacier
Benson Glacier () is a glacier about long, draining the east part of Flight Deck Névé and continuing east between Fry Glacier and Mackay Glacier into the north part of Granite Harbour where it forms a floating tongue.
Exploration and naming
...
is a relict of the Wallowa Glacier which carved the canyon of West Fork Wallowa River for almost 20 miles during the late Pleistocene
The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological Epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fina ...
.[Charles G. Johnson (2004), ''Alpine and Subalpine Vegetation of the Wallowa, Seven Devils, and Blue Mountains'', USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, p. 23] The peak is composed of granodiorite of the Wallowa Batholith. This landform's toponym has not been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names
The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a federal body operating under the United States Secretary of the Interior. The purpose of the board is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the federal governm ...
, so it is not labelled on USGS
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...
maps, and will remain unofficial as long as the USGS policy of not adopting new toponyms
Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...
in designated wilderness areas remains in effect.
Climate
Based on the Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
, Glacier Peak is located in a subarctic climate
The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of an ocean, ge ...
zone characterized by long, usually very cold winters, and mild summers.
See also
* List of mountain peaks of Oregon
Gallery
File:Glacier Lake, Eagle Cap Wilderness in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest.jpg, Glacier Peak (left) with parent Eagle Cap (right) from Glacier Lake
File:THREE ALPINE LAKES IN EAGLE CAP WILDERNESS, Wallowa Whitman National Forest (23566179599).jpg, Aerial view of Glacier Peak in upper left, Eagle Cap upper right,
Prospect Lake lower left, Glacier Lake to right.
File:Hidden Lake, Glacier peak.jpg, Southwest aspect of Glacier Peak reflected in Hidden Lake
File:Pack train in the Wallowa Mountains, Oregon (88600).jpg, Postcard of Glacier Peak circa 1930—1945
File:Backcountry rangers lead packtrain in the Eagle Cap Wilderness, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest (35941822920).jpg
References
External links
* Glacier Peak (photo)
Flickr
{{Portal bar, Geography, Geology, Mountains, Oregon
Mountains of Oregon
Landforms of Union County, Oregon
North American 2000 m summits
Wallowa–Whitman National Forest