Mount Fernow (King County, Washington) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mount Fernow |
|
|---|---|
Mount Fernow, north aspect
|
|
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 6,190 ft (1,890 m) |
| Prominence | 1,550 ft (470 m) |
| Isolation | 7.18 mi (11.56 km) |
| Parent peak | K9 (6,242 ft) |
| Geography | |
 Mount Fernow
Location in Washington (state)
Mount Fernow
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | King County Washington state, U.S. |
| Parent range | Cascade Range |
| Topo map | USGS Captain Point |
| Type of rock | Tonalite |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | class 3 scrambling |
Mount Fernow is a tall mountain in Washington state, U.S. It stands about 6,190 feet (1,887 meters) high. You can find it in eastern King County, not far from the town of Skykomish.
About Mount Fernow
Mount Fernow is part of the amazing Cascade Range of mountains. It's located inside the Wild Sky Wilderness, which is a special protected area. The land around it is managed by the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.
About one mile north of the peak, you'll find a group of lakes called the Mount Fernow Potholes. The mountain was officially named in 1967. It honors Bernhard Fernow, who was an important leader in forestry in the United States. There's actually another mountain named Mount Fernow in Washington, about 36 miles away!
Mountain Weather and Climate
Mount Fernow is in a climate zone called the marine west coast. This means the weather is greatly affected by the Pacific Ocean. Most of the weather systems come from the Pacific and move towards the Cascade Range.
When these weather systems hit the tall mountains, they are forced to rise. This causes them to drop a lot of rain or snow onto the Cascades. Because of this, the west side of the mountains gets a lot of precipitation, especially heavy snowfall in winter.
In summer, high-pressure systems over the Pacific often bring clear skies. But in winter, it's usually cloudy. The snow here tends to be wet and heavy. This can sometimes lead to avalanches, which are dangerous slides of snow. All the water from the mountain eventually flows into the Skykomish River.
How Mount Fernow Was Formed
Mount Fernow is made of a type of rock called tonalite. This rock is part of a much larger rock formation known as the Mount Stuart batholith. The Cascade Mountains, including Mount Fernow, began forming millions of years ago.
This happened when the North American Plate slowly moved over the Pacific Plate. This movement caused a lot of volcanic activity. For example, Glacier Peak, a large volcano, started forming about 25 miles north of Mount Fernow.
Over two million years ago, during the Pleistocene period, huge sheets of ice called glaciers covered the land. These glaciers moved back and forth many times. As they moved, they carved out the landscape, creating the "U"-shaped valleys we see today. The combination of land rising up and cracks in the Earth's crust, along with the glaciers, created the tall peaks and deep valleys of the Cascades.
