Mount Morrison (California) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mount Morrison
Mount Morrison from Long Valley
Highest point
Elevation	12,241 ft (3,731 m) NAVD 88
Prominence	164 ft (50 m)
Listing	SPS Mountaineers peak Western States Climbers Star peak
Geography
Location	Mono County, California. U.S.
Parent range	Sierra Nevada
Topo map	USGS Convict Lake
Geology
Age of rock	Paleozoic
Mountain type	Metamorphic rock
Climbing
First ascent	1928 by Norman Clyde or John Mendendhall
Easiest route	Scramble, class 2

Mount Morrison is a tall mountain in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. It is found in Mono County, California, in the United States. The mountain stands south of Convict Lake, close to the town of Mammoth Lakes. It is part of the Sherwin Range.

History of Mount Morrison

Mount Morrison is named after Robert Morrison. He was a merchant, which means he bought and sold goods, in the town of Benton. In 1871, he was part of a group trying to catch some people who had escaped from the Nevada State Penitentiary, a prison. Sadly, he was killed near Convict Lake during this event.

Close to Mount Morrison is another peak called Mono Jim Peak. This peak is named after Mono Jim. He was a guide from the Paiute tribe. He also died in the same event near Convict Lake.

Climbing Mount Morrison

Climbing Mount Morrison can be an exciting challenge. Records show that Norman Clyde was one of the first people to reach the top on June 22, 1928. Another climber, John Mendendhall, also reached the summit in 1928, but the exact month is not known.

There are different ways to climb to the top. The easiest path is called a "Class 2 scramble." This means you might need to use your hands for balance in some places, but it's not like difficult rock climbing. You might also have to push through some bushes.

Mount Morrison has a very steep eastern side. Because of this, it is sometimes called the "Eiger of the Sierra." The Eiger is a famous, very tough mountain in Europe. The east face of Mount Morrison has very loose rocks. This means climbers need to be extremely careful if they try to climb that side.

Geology of Mount Morrison

The rocks on Mount Morrison are very interesting. They are called metasedimentary rocks. This means they were once sedimentary rocks (like sandstone or shale) that changed over time due to heat and pressure deep inside the Earth. These rocks are also very tilted and faulted, which means they have been squeezed and broken by Earth's movements.

You can find different types of rock formations here. Some include:

• The Convict Lake Formation: This includes rocks like argillite (a type of hardened clay rock) and siliceous hornfels (a hard rock formed by heat) and slate (a fine-grained rock that splits easily). These are from the Ordovician period, which was a very long time ago!
• The Aspen Meadow Formation: This has more siliceous and calc-silicate hornfels.
• The Mount Morrison Sandstone: This is a type of sandstone that contains calcium.
• The Squares Tunnel Formation: This includes black chert (a very hard, dark rock) and argillite.

A large crack in the Earth's crust, called the Mount Morrison Fault, also runs near the mountain's top.

One cool thing found at the top of Mount Morrison are Fulgurites. These are natural hollow glass tubes. They form when lightning strikes sand or certain types of soil. The intense heat from the lightning melts the material, creating these unique glass tubes.

Images for kids

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  Morrison centered, with Mt. Baldwin behind, left