The Needles is an granite mountain located in Okanogan County in Washington state. It is part of the

Okanogan Range The Okanagan Range or Okanogan Range is a small subrange of the Cascade Range straddling the border between British Columbia and Washington south of the Similkameen River on the inland side of the range. The range is the northeasternmost extremity ...

which is a sub-range of the North Cascades Range. The Needles is situated on land administered by the Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest. The nearest higher peak is Tower Mountain, to the southwest.

Climate

The Needles is located in the marine west coast climate zone of western

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

.Beckey, Fred W. Cascade Alpine Guide, Climbing and High Routes. Seattle, WA: Mountaineers Books, 2008. Most weather fronts originate in the Pacific Ocean, and travel northeast toward the Cascade Mountains. As fronts approach the North Cascades, they are forced upward by the peaks of the Cascade Range, causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or

snowfall Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...

onto the Cascades ( Orographic lift). As a result, the west side of the North Cascades experiences high precipitation, especially during the winter months in the form of snowfall. During winter months, weather is usually cloudy, but, due to high pressure systems over the Pacific Ocean that intensify during summer months, there is often little or no cloud cover during the summer. Beckey, p. 16 Because of maritime influence, snow tends to be wet and heavy, resulting in high avalanche danger.

Geology

The North Cascades features some of the most rugged topography in the

Cascade Range The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, ...

with craggy peaks, ridges, and deep glacial valleys. Geological events occurring many years ago created the diverse topography and drastic elevation changes over the Cascade Range leading to the various climate differences. The Needles seen from Slate Peak

The history of the formation of the Cascade Mountains dates back millions of years ago to the late Eocene Epoch. With the North American Plate overriding the

Pacific Plate The Pacific Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate that lies beneath the Pacific Ocean. At , it is the largest tectonic plate. The plate first came into existence 190 million years ago, at the triple junction between the Farallon, Phoenix, and Iza ...

, episodes of volcanic igneous activity persisted. In addition, small fragments of the oceanic and continental lithosphere called terranes created the North Cascades about 50 million years ago. The Needles is carved mostly from granite of the Golden Horn

batholith A batholith () is a large mass of intrusive igneous rock (also called plutonic rock), larger than in area, that forms from cooled magma deep in Earth's crust. Batholiths are almost always made mostly of felsic or intermediate rock types, such ...

During the Pleistocene period dating back over two million years ago, glaciation advancing and retreating repeatedly scoured the landscape leaving deposits of rock debris. The U-shaped cross section of the river valleys is a result of recent glaciation.

Uplift Uplift may refer to: Science * Geologic uplift, a geological process ** Tectonic uplift, a geological process * Stellar uplift, the theoretical prospect of moving a stellar mass * Uplift mountains * Llano Uplift * Nemaha Uplift Business * Uplif ...

and faulting in combination with glaciation have been the dominant processes which have created the tall peaks and deep valleys of the North Cascades area.

References

External links

* The Needles weather
Mountain Forecast
{{Geographic Location 2 , Center = The Needles , North = Catleap Peak , Northeast = Flagg Mountain , ENE = Delancy Ridge , East = Mazama, Washington , ESE =

Vasiliki Ridge Vasiliki Ridge is a three-mile-long ridge located in Okanogan County of Washington state. It is part of the Methow Mountains which are a sub-range of the North Cascades. Vasiliki Ridge is situated north of Silver Star Mountain on land administ ...

, Southeast = Silver Star Mountain , South =

Hinkhouse Peak Hinkhouse Peak is a mountain summit located on the shared border of Okanogan County and Chelan County in Washington state. It is part of the Okanogan Range which is a sub-range of the North Cascades Range. Hinkhouse Peak is situated on land ...

, Southwest = Porcupine Peak , WSW = Tower Mountain , West = Golden Horn , WNW = Holliway Mountain , Northwest =

Azurite Peak Azurite Peak is an double-summit mountain located at the common boundary point of Okanogan County, Skagit County, and Whatcom County in Washington state. It is part of the Okanogan Range which is a sub-range of the North Cascades Range. Azurit ...

North Cascades Mountains of Washington (state) Mountains of Okanogan County, Washington Cascade Range North Cascades of Washington (state)

Climate

Geology

See also

References

External links