Porcupine Ridge is a prominent

mountain ridge A ridge or a mountain ridge is a geographical feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for an extended distance. The sides of the ridge slope away from the narrow top on either side. The line ...

located in the

Goat Haunt Goat Haunt is a region of Glacier National Park in Montana, United States. Goat Haunt is located at the head of Waterton lake which is fed by the Waterton River. The headwaters for the Waterton River are located South of Goat Haunt Ranger Station ...

area of Glacier National Park, in Glacier County of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

. This mountain is part of the

Livingston Range The Livingston Range is a mountain range located primarily in Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of Montana, and in the extreme southeastern section of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The range is long and wide. Over 15 summits ...

, and is situated 1.5 mile east of the

Continental Divide A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not ...

Topographic relief Terrain or relief (also topographical relief) involves the vertical and horizontal dimensions of land surface. The term bathymetry is used to describe underwater relief, while hypsometry studies terrain relative to sea level. The Latin word ...

is significant as the summit rises approximately above Lake Frances in one mile, and nearly above

Waterton Lake Waterton Lake is a mountain lake in southern Alberta, Canada and northern Montana, United States. The lake is composed of two bodies of water, connected by a shallow channel known locally as the Bosporus. The two parts are referred to as Middle Wat ...

in five miles. 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 to the

Waterton River Waterton Lake is a mountain lake in southern Alberta, Canada and northern Montana, United States. The lake is composed of two bodies of water, connected by a shallow channel known locally as the Bosporus. The two parts are referred to as Middle Wat ...

via Olson and Valentine Creeks. This geographical feature's name was officially adopted in 1911 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 ...

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 ...

, Porcupine Ridge is located in an alpine

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 short, cool to mild summers. Temperatures can drop below −10 °F with wind chill factors below −30 °F. This climate supports the remnant of an unnamed glacier on the northeast aspect below the summit.Scribner's Magazine, Volume 65, 1919, page 397.
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Geology

Like the mountains in Glacier National Park, Porcupine Ridge is composed of

sedimentary rock Sedimentary rocks are types of rock that are formed by the accumulation or deposition of mineral or organic particles at Earth's surface, followed by cementation. Sedimentation is the collective name for processes that cause these particles ...

laid down during the

Precambrian The Precambrian (or Pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pꞒ, or Cryptozoic) is the earliest part of Earth's history, set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian is so named because it preceded the Cambrian, the first period of the ...

Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The J ...

periods. Formed in shallow seas, this sedimentary rock was initially uplifted beginning 170 million years ago when the

Lewis Overthrust The Lewis Overthrust is a geologic thrust fault structure of the Rocky Mountains found within the bordering national parks of Glacier in Montana, United States and Waterton Lakes in Alberta, Canada. The structure was created due to the collision of ...

fault pushed an enormous slab of

precambrian The Precambrian (or Pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pꞒ, or Cryptozoic) is the earliest part of Earth's history, set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian is so named because it preceded the Cambrian, the first period of the ...

rocks thick, wide and long over younger rock of the

cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of th ...

period.

Gallery

File:Citadel Peaks rising above Goat Haunt, Waterton Lake.jpg, Porcupine Ridge centered (cloud over the summit), with

Citadel Peaks Citadel Peaks is a mountain ridge located in the Goat Haunt area of Glacier National Park, in Glacier County of the U.S. state of Montana. This arête with a row of sharp points is part of the Livingston Range, and is approximately four miles ea ...

(left). File:Goat Haunt Ranger Station (4499925687).jpg, Porcupine Ridge (left) seen from Goat Haunt Ranger Station File:Goathaunt Ranger Station, Waterton Lake.jpg, Porcupine Ridge left of center,

Olson Mountain Olson Mountain, also known as Mount Olson, is a 7,913-foot-elevation (2,412 m) mountain summit located in the Livingston Range, of Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of Montana. Olson Mountain rises more than above the western shore of W ...

to right. File:Porcupine Ridge, Glacier Park.jpg, South aspect, circa 1913. File:Montana - Glacier National Park - NARA - 23942111.jpg, Porcupine Ridge to right, aerial view circa 1925.

References

External links

* Weather forecast
Porcupine Ridge
* National Park Service web site

* Porcupine Ridge fire lookout (photo)
Flickr
{{Geographic Location 2 , Center = Porcupine Ridge , North = Shaheeya Peak , Northeast =

, ENE =

, East =

Mount Cleveland Mount Cleveland may refer to the following places: Australia * Mount Cleveland, on Cape Cleveland, Queensland USA * Mount Cleveland (Alaska), or Cleveland Volcano, on Chuginadak Island, Alaska * Mount Cleveland, Skagway, Alaska, near Mount Carmack ...

, ESE =

Stoney Indian Peaks Stoney Indian Peaks () are located in the Lewis Range, Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of Montana. Consisting of several summits, the mountain is in the northeastern region of Glacier National Park, less than south of Mount Cleveland. ...

, Southeast = Kootenai Peak , South = Redhorn Peak , Southwest = Peak 8565 , West =

The Guardhouse The Guardhouse () is located in the Livingston Range, Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of Montana. The Guardhouse is situated on the Continental Divide. Geology Like other mountains in Glacier National Park, the peak is composed of sedime ...

, WNW =

Thunderbird Mountain Thunderbird Mountain () is located in the Livingston Range, Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of Montana. Thunderbird Mountain is situated on the Continental Divide. Thunderbird Glacier is located immediately northeast of the mountain. Geol ...

, Northwest =

Chapman Peak Chapman Peak () is located in the Livingston Range, Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of Montana. Chapman Peak is situated along the Continental Divide. The mountain is named for Robert H. Chapman, one of the US Geological Survey topographe ...

Livingston Range Mountains of Glacier County, Montana Mountains of Glacier National Park (U.S.) Mountains of Montana North American 2000 m summits

Climate

Geology

Gallery

See also

References

External links