Porphyry Mountain is a prominent 6,375-foot (1,943 meter) mountain summit located in the Wrangell Mountains, in the U.S. state of Alaska. The peak is situated in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, immediately southeast of Kennecott, northeast of

McCarthy McCarthy (also spelled MacCarthy or McCarty) may refer to: * MacCarthy, a Gaelic Irish clan * McCarthy, Alaska, United States * McCarty, Missouri, United States * McCarthy Road, a road in Alaska * McCarthy (band), an indie pop band * Château MacC ...

, and, northwest of

Sourdough Peak Sourdough Peak is a 6,201-foot (1,890 meter) mountain summit located at the southern edge of the Wrangell Mountains, in the U.S. state of Alaska. The peak is situated in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, east-southeast of McCarthy, ...

. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the Nizina River, which in turn is part of the

Copper River Copper River may refer to several places: *Copper River (Alaska), in the United States * Copper River (British Columbia), a tributary of the Skeena River The Skeena River is the second-longest river entirely within British Columbia, Canada (afte ...

drainage basin. The peak is notable for a

rock glacier Rock glaciers are distinctive geomorphological landforms, consisting either of angular rock debris frozen in interstitial ice, former "true" glaciers overlain by a layer of talus, or something in-between. Rock glaciers are normally found at high ...

on its north slope. The mountain was so named because it is largely composed of porphyry, which is a very hard igneous

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

. The mountain's local name was reported in 1908 by the U.S. Geological Survey. On a clear day the summit of Porphyry Mountain offers views of

Donoho Peak Donoho Peak is a 6,696-foot-elevation (2,041 meter) mountain summit located in the Wrangell Mountains, in the U.S. state of Alaska. The peak is situated in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, north-northwest of Kennecott, and nor ...

, Kennicott Glacier, and

Mount Blackburn Mount Blackburn is the highest peak in the Wrangell Mountains of Alaska in the United States. It is the fifth-highest peak in the United States and the twelfth-highest peak in North America. The mountain is an old, eroded shield volcano, the se ...

to the northwest, and

Fireweed Mountain Fireweed Mountain is a prominent 6,956-foot (2,120 meter) mountain summit located in the Wrangell Mountains, in the U.S. state of Alaska. The peak is situated in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, immediately west of the terminus of t ...

to the west.

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Porphyry Mountain 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 with long, cold, snowy winters, and cool summers. Weather systems coming off the Gulf of Alaska are forced upwards by the Wrangell Mountains ( orographic lift), causing heavy precipitation in the form of rainfall and snowfall. Temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. The months May through June offer the most favorable weather for viewing and climbing.

References

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Porphyry Mountain and National Creek Rock Glacier From Donoho Basin

External links

* Weather forecast
Porphyry Mountain
* National Creek Rock Glacier
Fickr photo
Mountains of Alaska Landforms of Copper River Census Area, Alaska Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve North American 1000 m summits

Climate

See also

References

External links